Family is Everything
by Willow-Bane
Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG. Vote in the Poll! Poll closes Tuesday!
1. Accidental Mates

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Accidental Mates (Rated T)**

Natsu walked into Gray's bedroom and stretched. It felt so good to get back from a long mission. He moved over to the bed and collapsed onto it, his head hitting the soft pillows. Gray wasn't back from the guild yet since he had to report the results of their mission, which gave Natsu a little time to get ready.

Natsu and Gray had been going out secretly for the past six months. Sure, they'd had sex plenty of times, but Natsu's feelings had grown deeper over the past couple months. And he wanted something more; however, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

The dragon-slayer got up from the bed and went into the bathroom, taking a quick bath and changing into an oversized black shirt. Next, he dabbed a little bit of almond-scented cream—it drove Gray wild—along his neck and wrists. Looking at himself in the mirror, he ruffled his hair to give it a messier look, and then walked out of the bathroom.

Natsu pulled down the sheets on the bed and lit a few scented candles with his magic. Glancing at the clock, he realized that Gray would be back any minute now. Smiling to himself, he stepped into Gray's closet and waited.

* * *

Gray opened the door to his bedroom wearily. He assumed Natsu would already be asleep in his bed. It had been a tedious mission after all. Shutting the door behind him, he shrugged off his shirt and looked at the bed. His jaw literally dropped.

The sheets were turned down, and there was a slight aroma of almond in the air. And Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Natsu?" he called out, searching for him.

"Yes, Gray?" he answered huskily, revealing himself as he stepped out of the closet seductively.

Gray almost fell over in shock. Natsu was wearing one of his shirts— _only_ one of his shirts—which left little to the imagination. "N-Natsu?" he stammered as the dragon-slayer approached him. Gray tried backing away, not used to Natsu being so forward, but the dragon-slayer pulled him back when he started undoing the ice mage's belt. "What are you doing?"

Natsu stared into his eyes. "I want you to make love to me, Gray. Please?" he said, kissing Gray gently on the lips. "Please?" He succeeded in removing his belt and dropped it onto the floor. "Make love to me."

Gray felt his mouth go dry, making him unable to speak, so he just nodded. They'd done this so many times before, but he wasn't used to Natsu being so assertive in the bedroom. This time…this time felt different. How? He wasn't sure. But he wasn't going to complain. Gray easily gave into Natsu's demands.

* * *

Gray rolled onto his back in exhaustion, pulling Natsu with him so that he lay on his chest. His heart and neck pounded.

"That was good. _Really_ good," started Gray. "But did you have to go and bite my neck like that? I think I'm bleeding."

Natsu felt his heart slam unsteadily in his chest as he came down from his hormone induced high. Gradually, he began to panic. What had he done?

Instead of alerting Gray that something was wrong, Natsu shakily snuggled up against him, and Gray leaned up slightly to pull the sheets over them. Natsu felt him kiss him softly on the forehead. This made Natsu relax slightly against him.

"I love you, Gray," he whispered.

"Mmm."

* * *

Gray woke to the sun shining on his face. Groggily opening his eyes, he looked down at the dragon-slayer splayed across his chest. He smiled happily when he remembered last night's activities. It always felt wonderful how they gave themselves to each other, but last night felt like something…more. Gray never imagined that making love with someone you truly loved could feel so uplifting. He felt as if he could do anything.

Gray gently nudged Natsu away. "Natsu? Time to get up," he said softly. His request was met by a loud yawn. Natsu stretched then snuggled back up against Gray.

"Why?" came his muffled reply. Gray noticed that his eyes were still closed.

"Because I need to go on a mission today. I'd rather stay here in bed with you, but I made a promise," he answered, gently stroking his back.

Natsu groaned, rising from the bed, the sheets pooling about his waist as he stretched. When Gray snickered, he gave him a weird look. "What?"

"If you don't want me to ravage you this morning, I suggest you cover up," he replied with a devilish smirk.

Natsu gasped in shock as he realized that he was completely naked in broad daylight. Scrambling to pick up the sheet to cover himself from head to toe, the dragon-slayer blushed furiously when he remembered what happened last night. "Pervert!"

Gray chuckled loudly at his accusation. "No, I think you're more of a pervert than me. Who's the one who jumped me last night? Not that I minded or anything," he added slyly.

"Jerk," he mumbled, but then his face grew serious. "I bit you last night."

"Yeah, and it hurt like a bitch, too," replied Gray, rubbing the sore spot on the side of his neck. "But it's not like I complained about getting it."

Natsu nervously rubbed his hands together. "We need to talk about that."

"It's just a bite."

"It's not just a—!"

"Anyway, I need to get going on that mission."

Natsu was not pleased about being interrupted. "Mission? What mission? We just got back from one."

"Yeah, well this one's all me."

"How long are you going to be gone?"

Gray shrugged. "A couple weeks."

"A couple weeks?" Natsu echoed. "But…we need to talk about the bite."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll talk about it." He sighed as he rose from the bed in all his naked glory. " _When_ I get back."

Natsu wanted to protest, but he bit his tongue and nodded instead.

Gray smiled at that. Bending over, he gave Natsu a quick peck on the lips. As he pulled away, Natsu pulled him back. The kiss eventually got longer…more intense...more urgent…more passionate.

Gray groaned as he finally managed to pull back completely. "Natsu," he growled, giving him another peck on the lips, "I really have to go."

Natsu smiled sadly at him. "Then go. I'll wait for you."

"Okay," Gray responded, thinking his response was odd.

"Oh, and Gray?"

"Yes, Natsu?" he asked, turning to face him. Natsu now had a malicious grin on his face.

"Are you sure you wanna go on a mission like that?" Natsu smirked.

Gray turned beet red when he realized he was about to go off on a mission naked. What the hell was he thinking? Natsu was starting to become too much of a distraction.

But a very good one.

* * *

After Gray left for his mission—fully clothed this time—Natsu decided to speak with Gajeel. However, instead of going to the guild, Natsu decided to follow his nose.

This led him to Gajeel's residence: a tiny place near the edge of Magnolia. Natsu braced himself for the onslaught of questions that would undoubtedly come his way and knocked on the door.

"Natsu! Well, this is surprise!" announced Pantherlily.

"I-I need to speak with Gajeel," Natsu stammered.

Pantherlily beckoned him inside and closed the door. As soon as Natsu entered, Gajeel—who'd been busily chowing down on a large piece of iron—stopped and stared at the fire mage, a flash of concern and worry wavering in his eyes ever so briefly before it was replaced by a stern gaze.

"Oi, Lily. Leave us for a bit, will ya?" said Gajeel.

"I'll be at the guild," replied the Exceed as he stepped out.

Gajeel stood from his seat and approached the other dragon-slayer. He grabbed Natsu by the wrist and dragged him over to his beat-up couch, forcing him to sit down. Gajeel sat next to him and stared. "Ya smell funny."

"That's the first thing you say?" Natsu replied meekly.

The lack of an insult made Gajeel grow more concerned. "What happened?"

"I…I think I accidentally…made Gray my mate."

"Ya mated with the ice bastard?"

"I don't know! I'm not sure!"

"How can ya not be sure?! Wait! How long has this thing been goin' on?"

Natsu stared down at his hands. "We've been seeing each other for the past six months."

"And what? Ya had sex for the first time last night? That don't make ya mates."

"We've had…sex a lot before last night, but…last night was…different. Something came over me, I think, and I bit him," Natsu said softly.

Gajeel leaned closer toward Natsu and closed his eyes, sniffing deeply. He kept doing so until he found what he was looking for. "Ya went into heat last night, moron."

Natsu's eyes widened. _Shit, Shit, Shit!_ Igneel had told him about going into heat! Why hadn't it dawned on him before? That's why last night felt different.

"Is this your first heat?" asked Gajeel, looking curious.

Natsu nodded faintly, swallowing hard, the reality of the situation sinking in.

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair. "So, who's the—ya know—bottom?"

The fire mage paled. "M-Me." Now he was realizing he was in deeper shit.

"Ya talk to the ice bastard about this yet?" asked Gajeel.

Natsu shook his head. "He left. On a mission."

"How long's he gonna be gone?"

"A couple weeks."

Gajeel frowned. "That's a long time to be away from your mate."

His mate. "I really made him my mate, didn't I?"

Gajeel nodded. "And then some."

Natsu didn't even want to consider the additional consequence of giving into his heat cycle.

"You should see Wendy," started Gajeel, "to make sure."

Natsu swallowed thickly. "I don't…wanna go to the guild."

Gajeel rubbed the fire mage's arms comfortingly with his hands. "Stay put. I'll bring her here."

"Thank you, Gajeel."

"That's what family's for, Salamander."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	2. Honest Truth

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Honest Truth (Rated T)**

Wendy arrived at Gajeel's place walking much like a zombie. Anyone would considering what the iron dragon-slayer had told her: Gray and Natsu were mates, but Gray didn't know. It was difficult keeping Happy and Charle out of the loop, but it was for the best right now.

Gajeel opened the door and stepped inside, and they just stood in the middle of the room facing Natsu.

"Natsu? Are you okay?" questioned Wendy, looking at him quite worriedly. She grew a little uneasy when he didn't respond. "Natsu," she called again, stepping in front of him and crouching down. "Are you okay?"

Still no answer.

Wendy knelt on the floor in front of Natsu and hugged him around the waist. "Natsu-nii?" she stated quietly.

Natsu jolted out of his daze when he heard that. Tears suddenly filled his eyes as he pushed himself away from Wendy. "Leave me alone!" he yelled, racing to the other side of the room. This was making it all too real. He didn't want it to be real.

He fled to Gajeel's bedroom, slammed the door shut and locked it. And then he started trashing Gajeel's room. Natsu threw anything he could get his hands on. After his tantrum, he collapsed on the ground.

A sudden pounding sounded at the door.

"Oi, Salamander! Open this door before I eat the knob off!" shouted Gajeel from the other side.

Natsu furiously rubbed at his eyes before reluctantly walking toward the door and unlocking it. He half expected Gajeel to yell at him for trashing his room, but the iron dragon-slayer surprised him.

Gajeel pulled him into a hug. "I know this is a lot for ya right now, but Wendy needs to check. To make sure, ya know?"

Natsu nodded briefly against Gajeel's chest. As he was led to the bed, Natsu sat down and awaited Wendy's inspection.

"This might take some time," said Wendy, placing her hands over Natsu's abdominal area. A faint glow illuminated the space between her hands and his stomach. Wendy closed her eyes, searching for confirmation of what they all expected.

And there it was. A spark of life. It was a small spark, but a spark nonetheless.

Gradually, the light from her hands faded, and she looked up to Natsu, her eyes full of love and concern. "You're pregnant, Natsu-nii," she whispered.

Natsu inhaled sharply and held it for a few moments before releasing a shaky breath. Pregnant. He was pregnant. And mated to Gray, which the ice mage knew nothing of. What if Gray didn't want to be mates? Or worse. What if he didn't want the baby? Oh, Mavis! He was having a baby!

Gajeel and Wendy both threw their arms around Natsu when he started crying again.

"Hey, this should be a happy thing, right?" said Gajeel. "You've got a mate and a little troublemaker on the way."

"B-But what i-if he hates me," sobbed Natsu.

"Hates you?" Wendy echoed. "Why would Gray hate you?"

Natsu wiped away his tears as he took a few calming breaths. "We never talked about _mating_ before. And it all just happened so fast. What if he doesn't want me as his mate? What if he doesn't want…this?" he replied, placing his hands on his abdomen shakily.

Wendy smiled and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "How could he not?"

"Yeah. And if he doesn't, I'll just beat some sense into him until he does," added Gajeel.

Natsu didn't want to think about this right now. Everything in him was telling him to get away.

And that's exactly what he did.

Before Gajeel and Wendy even knew what was happening, Natsu had bolted from the room.

"He moves fast considering he's pregnant," observed Gajeel.

"It's only been a day," said Wendy.

The iron dragon-slayer shrugged. "Yeah, well, pregnancy works differently with dragons. I better find him before he does something stupid."

* * *

Gajeel burst into the guild looking absolutely furious. How could he—of all people—lose track of Natsu's smell. Were his pregnancy hormones changing his scent so much that he couldn't recognize it?

"Outta my way!" Gajeel shouted as he shoved Jet and Droy into a table.

"What's your problem?" snapped Jet.

"None of your concern!" he said before turning his attention to Mira at the bar. Gajeel slammed his hands on the counter, causing it to crack. "Where is he?"

Mira paused in cleaning a glass to stare at the dragon-slayer. "He?"

"Salamander! Natsu! Where _is_ he?!"

"He went on a mission not too long ago. You just missed him. Poor Happy got left behind, too," she replied.

"That idiot!" Gajeel growled, slamming his hands on the counter again, making it crack even further.

"Gajeel!" Wendy shouted and she burst into the guild. "I can't smell Natsu!"

"He left on a mission," he replied. "What mission did he take?"

Mira just stared at him.

"Dammit, woman! Tell me what mission he took!"

"Calm down, Gajeel. You make it seem like a matter of life and death," Mira laughed lightly.

"It might very well be!"

The intense seriousness of Gajeel's tone quieted the guild, drawing the attention of several of its members.

"What are you talking about, Gajeel?" asked Erza.

The iron dragon-slayer looked conflicted. "I…can't say. It's not my right."

"What can you say?" asked Master Makarov as he walked toward him, hands behind his back.

Gajeel clenched his fists. "I need to bring him back. Now. For his own…safety. It'd be best if it was just me and Wendy."

Master Makarov looked as if he was contemplating the idea. Finally, he nodded. "All right. Anything else?"

Gajeel hesitated, which was an unusual look for him. "I need someone to bring Gray back."

"Why?" Erza demanded, her eyes narrowing. "Did he do something to Natsu?"

Gajeel swallowed hard when she summoned a sword and stabbed the ground with it. "You could say that."

"Consider it done," replied Erza as she marched out the doors of the guild.

The iron dragon-slayer turned his attention back to Master Makarov. "What mission did he take?"

* * *

It was early morning. Too early for anyone to be up yet, but one certain pink-haired individual was.

Natsu sat silently in the woods and stared blankly at the dark sky. Salty tears trickled down his cut and bruised face, stinging his recent wounds. His tears seemed to fall in time with the light rain that trickled through the trees. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, Natsu sniffed and hugged himself in an attempt to warm his chilled body. It seemed his magic wasn't quite working for him now.

Yesterday had been one of the worst in his life. He'd taken a mission to take out some thieves a few days ago, and it hadn't turned out as he'd hoped. Being distracted by his thoughts had given the thieves an upper hand, which led to a bit of a beating. When he'd tried to summon his magic, it had faltered.

But as soon as one of the thieves came toward him with a knife, aiming for his stomach, all he could think about was the tiny life starting inside of him. His magic had swelled and taken out the thieves.

And then his magic had dissipated again.

When he'd gone back to the town that hired him for the job, the mayor confronted him almost immediately. He demanded to know what had taken him so long to finish the job. The mayor also claimed that Natsu was supposed to return all of the stolen goods. Of course, that request hadn't been on the original mission statement, but it had been "implied" according to the mayor. So the mayor decided he wasn't worthy of the reward.

Natsu told him that it wasn't fair, and that the reward was important, even if he only received half of it. This news just sent the mayor over the edge. He went into a rage. The mayor demanded Natsu be thrown into prison for defiance and disrespect, saying that his so-called guild would have to pay for the stolen goods before he was released.

Well, Natsu wasn't going to let that happen. Even if it did somewhat damage Fairy Tail's reputation. So the fire mage took off into the pouring rain and went in search of shelter.

He'd been like that for the rest of the night. Wet, cold, tired, and hungry. He could feel himself getting sick now.

Natsu sniffed again, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his numb arms around them. He rested his chin atop his knees and shivered; he didn't remember the last time he felt so cold. Closing his eyes, Natsu started to doze off.

He snapped out of his drowsy state, however, when he heard a loud noise behind him. Natsu weakly turned his head, merely to see Gajeel staring at him.

"Found you, Salamander," Gajeel said. "What happened to you?" Natsu didn't respond; he just stared at Gajeel. It unnerved him slightly. "Salamander?"

Still no response. Although he was extremely concerned, Gajeel tried not to show it. He swiftly approached Natsu. "Salamander?" he called again. "Why won't you say anything?"

"What's there to say?" Natsu answered hoarsely.

This took Gajeel by surprise. Upon closer inspection of Natsu's face, he noticed a large bruise around his left eye, along with numerous cuts. They looked fairly recent. His eyes were also red and puffy, like he'd been crying. And he looked…pale. Gajeel also noted how drenched he appeared; he must have been in the rain for quite some time.

"You're soaking wet. We need to get you somewhere dry," ordered Gajeel. When Natsu made no signs of moving, he reached out and grabbed one of his arms, only to have Natsu hiss out in pain as he desperately tried to pull his arm back.

Gajeel froze.

"Just leave me alone," Natsu said, barely audible. He tried to move away from Gajeel. He slipped. The fire mage braced himself for the imminent impact of the forest floor, but it never came.

Natsu hesitantly opened his eyes. Gajeel was gently holding him by the arms. But he couldn't feel him. Was he that numb from the cold? Natsu shivered again, consciousness fading.

Gajeel felt him shiver and panicked when he felt Natsu go limp. "Salamander? Wake up," he hissed, shaking Natsu lightly. There was no reaction. "Salamander?" Gajeel sighed while he kept Natsu steady.

"Let's get you to Wendy," he mumbled. Gajeel lifted Natsu bridal-style, astounded that he felt so cold. That was _not_ good.

* * *

When Gajeel arrived at the inn he'd forced Wendy to stay at while he looked for Natsu, he glanced down at the fire mage and felt a tiny pang in his chest. His arms tightened protectively around the person he considered a younger brother—not that he'd say it out loud—when he heard him whimper, inching closer to Gajeel's chest.

Natsu abruptly woke with a start. Where was he? He looked up, his startled eyes meeting Gajeel's concerned ones. "Gajeel?" he said roughly. His throat hurt. Swallowing difficulty, he asked, "Where are we?"

"At an inn. You passed out. I'm taking you to Wendy," he replied in a neutral voice.

"She's here?" Natsu said. It really hurt to talk.

"Yep," Gajeel answered.

"G-Gajeel…" he strained out.

"Try not to talk right now. You're really weak. But Wendy'll take care of that soon enough," Gajeel said. "How're ya feeling?"

Natsu clutched his head in his hands. "Dizzy…cold." He shivered again. "So cold," he murmured.

"Wendy!" Gajeel snapped as he entered the room of the end. The startled young girl leapt from the bed and ran over to the two dragon-slayers.

"You found him!" she cried as she looked him over. "Set him on the bed so I can heal him!"

The iron dragon-slayer did just that. He watched as Wendy used her healing magic on Natsu. "Ya feel any better yet?"

Natsu nodded. "I'm not cold anymore," he mumbled.

"It looked like ya took quite a beating. What happened?"

The fire mage stared at his clasped hands. "My magic wouldn't work like I wanted it to. I don't know what happened."

Gajeel crossed his arms and frowned in thought. "I think you've been away from your mate too long. Either that or your magic is goin' to that new fire in your belly, gihi."

Natsu glared at Gajeel; however, it did make him feel a bit better that he was trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe."

"Natsu," Wendy started when she was finished healing him, "I don't think you should go on anymore missions. At least not until the baby is born. You put yourself into serious danger. What were you thinking?!"

Natsu jolted at her tone.

"You not only have to think about yourself, but the life growing inside of you," she continued. "What if something had happened to you…or the baby?"

The fire mage sighed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. This is all just so much to deal with at once," he replied quietly.

"But you don't have to deal with it _alone_ ," said Wendy. "You have lots of people who care for you and love you."

Natsu wanted to believe that, but something still bothered him, so much so that he needed to say it aloud. "But does Gray?"

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	3. Surprises

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Surprises (Rated T)**

Gray fidgeted nervously in the seat across from Erza. They were taking a train back to Magnolia with Erza glaring at him the whole way.

He'd been surprised when Erza had suddenly shown up out of the blue, taken out the dark guild singlehandedly that he was supposed to defeat, and clocked him over the head with her iron-clad fist after screaming, " _What did you do to Natsu?!_ "

He hadn't been able to answer the question, of course, since Erza had accidentally—as she called it—knocked him out. He'd only woken a few minutes ago to find himself on a train heading for Magnolia.

"Um," started Gray nervously, "what's this all about?"

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You tell me."

"Erza, I really don't know what's going on."

"So you're telling me that you have no idea why Natsu ran away?"

Gray's head snapped up so fast, he heard his neck pop. "Natsu ran away? When? Why?"

Erza crossed her arms. "I have no idea. Gajeel came into the guild ready to tear the place apart looking for him. Apparently, Natsu took a job, and Wendy and Gajeel went to find him to bring him back."

"So…what does that have to do with me?" Gray was absolutely clueless. He and Natsu took separate jobs all the time.

"Gajeel may have mentioned that you did something to Natsu. He didn't say what it was, but he seemed to believe that it was enough to make Natsu run away," explained Erza.

An uneasy feeling washed over Gray. Now that she mentioned it, Natsu had seriously wanted to talk to him about something before he left for his mission, but he'd kept blowing him off. Is that why Natsu took off? Because of that?

"I'll ask again," said Erza, interrupting the ice mage's thoughts. "What did you do to Natsu?"

Gray shook his head. "I need to talk to Natsu first. As soon as we get back. Promise."

Somewhat appeased, Erza leaned back. If she wasn't provided with an adequate explanation, she was going to clobber _two_ heads.

* * *

Gajeel was exhausted. He took a swig from his mug and set it on the bar counter of the guild. Rubbing his temples with his fingers, he tried to push back the impending headache that was forming there.

Taking care of Natsu was a pain in the ass. The fire mage was so worried about what Gray would think and feel about the _situation_ —as they were calling it—that Natsu barely slept or ate. He just stayed in bed and cried.

Wendy had been constantly checking up on him over the past week ever since they got back, even if it was to make sure Natsu was eating something to nourish the baby. She came to the conclusion that the baby was fine, but Natsu was not; it seemed his magic was sustaining the life of the baby. However, if Natsu didn't improve his health soon, both their lives—his and the baby's—would be at risk.

"He's been away from his mate too long," Gajeel mumbled under his breath. Just when was that stupid ice mage getting back?

The doors of the guild bursting open answered his inner thoughts, for there stood a heaving Gray. He looked like he'd just run a marathon.

"Where's Natsu?" he demanded.

Gajeel rose from his place at the bar and walked over to the ice mage. "He's at home. Where _you_ should be."

Gray turned his eyes toward the iron dragon-slayer. "What's going on with Natsu?" he asked hurriedly. "Erza said he ran away."

"Sure did," replied Gajeel. "It was a pain bringin' him back." He suddenly grabbed the front of Gray's shirt and yanked him forward. "Go to him and listen to what he has to say. And if ya even _dare_ hurt him, I'll beat ya to a bloody pulp."

Gray smoothed down his shirt in confusion once Gajeel let him go. He'd never seen the iron mage act so protective…over anyone! Especially Natsu.

Just what the hell was going on!

* * *

Gray approached Natsu's house hesitantly. It appeared eerily quiet. Too quiet. Taking out his key, he unlocked the door and made his way inside, quickly finding Natsu's bedroom.

He smiled softly when he noticed the fire mage snuggled under the covers of his bed; however, that smile soon changed into a concerned frown when he saw the tear streaks on Natsu's face.

Crouching in front of the dragon-slayer, Gray gently stroked Natsu's hair, causing the latter to stir awake.

"G-Gray. You're b-back," stammered Natsu as he slowly sat up in the bed. He looked afraid, which unnerved Gray slightly.

"Hey," started Gray. "I was told you ran away. Care to explain that?"

Natsu swallowed hard and averted his eyes. "I…panicked."

"You panicked. About what?"

"The bite," Natsu whispered as he stared at his lap.

Gray tried to remain patient. "You've mentioned the bite before, but I still don't get it. Can you explain it to me?"

Natsu gave a shaky nod before taking a deep breath. "Dragons—and dragon-slayers—t-take one mate for life. This h-happens during a dragon's heat cycle. When dragons have sex during their heat cycle and bite…th-they've claimed their mate."

Gray stared blankly at Natsu for a few minutes, letting the information sink in. "Are you telling me that we're…that we're mates? For life?"

The dragon-slayer nodded, keeping his gaze in his lap.

"And you thought what? That I'd be upset about this?" Gray lifted Natsu's chin, surprised to still find fear in his eyes. "Natsu, listen to me. I'm not upset. I'm absolutely thrilled. I know I don't say this enough, but I love you. So much. I have ever since Master first walked through the guild doors with you. Out of anyone in the world I could have been mates with, I'm glad it's with you. I really love you, Natsu, and it would be an honor to spend the rest of my life with you."

Gray was ecstatic. His childhood crush, his adult lover, was now his forever mate. Life couldn't get any better than this.

"There's more," Natsu stated quietly, bringing his nervous hands to Gray's and pulling them away from his face.

"More?"

Natsu nodded again. "Please don't get mad at me," he whimpered.

The dragon-slayer's tone grounded him. He felt a sharp pang in his heart when he realized the fear he was seeing in Natsu's eyes was because of him. "Why are you…Natsu, are you afraid of me?"

Natsu inhaled shakily as if he was about to cry. "A l-little. P-Please don't get mad," he repeated.

Gray rose from the floor and sat on the bed next to Natsu, putting an arm around his waist. He kissed him lightly on the temple. "Natsu, there's nothing you could say that would make me mad at you."

Natsu refused to say more.

Gray tentatively reached out to stroke back Natsu's hair, but he moved away from his touch and sat up, avoiding eye contact. "Natsu, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," he said desperately. He was really getting scared by his behavior. "Can you please tell me what's made you so upset? Upset enough to run away?"

Natsu seemed to be struggling with maintaining his composure when he finally looked Gray in the eyes. "I love you more than anything, Gray."

"And I love you, Natsu. You're my whole life," replied Gray lovingly.

Natsu glanced off to the side before focusing on him again. "And you'd love me—stay my mate—no matter what?" he asked uneasily.

Gray was unsure by what he meant, but answered anyway. "Yes. No matter what, I will always love you; I'll forever be your mate."

"And you won't get mad? Or angry?" he added softly.

"No. I won't get mad or angry. Now tell me what's going on," he begged.

Natsu's teary eyes met Gray's fearfully. "I'm pregnant!"

Gray was glad he was sitting down, because surely if he'd been standing, he would have collapsed from shock. He felt his mouth drop open. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. There were so many emotions running through him that he hardly knew how to identify them, much less give them the attention they deserved. Surprise, excitement, panic, and an overwhelming emotion he couldn't quite identify at all.

"You're pregnant?" Gray said, and his voice broke.

Natsu looked at him with anticipation.

"You're having…a baby."

Natsu nodded.

Suddenly, Gray stood up and started pacing. "You're having a baby," he repeated. "We're having a baby!" Gray looked down at Natsu and felt his eyes mist over. He pulled the fire mage into his arms, holding him close. "But…how?"

"Let's…call it a dragon-slayer thing," said Natsu. "But, yes. We're having a baby. You _do_ want it…don't you?"

"Of course I want us to have a baby," he said hoarsely. "I never knew we'd be able to. I can't believe it!" Gray tilted his head back and laughed for joy, making Natsu smile. It was the first time he'd heard him laugh like that. Then he lifted Natsu's face and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

Then he realized Natsu was still on his feet, so he pushed him back down on the bed and then started to pace about the room as he started thinking.

"I'm…glad you want me to have the baby," said Natsu. "I was afraid you wouldn't want me to have it."

Gray halted in his tracks—and thoughts—as he stared at him in shock. "Why…would you think that?"

"I-I don't know," he replied, looking as if he were about to cry again. "When I found out, I was scared. Not just having a baby inside me, but what you'd think of me after finding out. I ran away because I'd convinced myself that you wouldn't even want me as a mate, let alone a baby. Plus, it's not like we've been in a relationship for very long."

Gray nodded his head in understanding as he sat back down on the bed next to him. "You don't ever have to worry about that. I'd love for you to have our children. It'll be as fun having them as it was making them," he said with a smirk.

Natsu blushed.

Gray crawled over to Natsu and gently pulled him into his lap. "I'm so happy, Natsu," he said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I am now, too," he laughed. "I'm so glad you want us."

"Of course I do. Um…if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out you were pregnant, anyway?" It was a logical question. He didn't know how long it took before a dragon-slayer realized they had conceived.

"It was only after I bit you that I realized what might have happened. I spoke with Gajeel. He believed I was in my heat cycle; that's why I bit you. He had Wendy gave me a check-up, and…well, you know the rest."

"Okay. Of course you'll have to rest from now on. No more running around with Lucy and the others, no more missions. Carrying a baby is probably a difficult thing, Natsu, and I'm not going to lose you because of our baby. Too many people lose their lives during childbirth. I've waited my whole life for you. I'm not giving you up that easily."

"Gr—!"

"You'll have to visit the guild less. We can't have our friends stressing you out. And the nursery! We'll have to prepare that soon, won't we? Maybe we can add onto your house! I can move out of my apartment and stay here!"

"Gray!"

He stopped rambling and looked at him. "Yes?" Whatever Natsu wanted, he would give to him promptly and willingly.

"We're going to be fine."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	4. Morning Sickness

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Morning Sickness (Rated T)**

Natsu had gotten up from the bed in his attempt to get Gray's attention, and now he was feeling like that was a poor choice; he was feeling winded.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gray asked, stepping toward the dragon-slayer. Natsu was about to nod his head when Gray said, "Don't lie to me."

Natsu sighed. "Not really. I…haven't been myself lately."

"Do you think you can walk to the bathroom? Maybe you should take a bath."

The fire mage looked feebly at Gray before turning his attention to the bathroom. "I—."

"It's all right if you can't," encouraged Gray. "I've got you." He scooped Natsu up in his arms, surprised by how light the dragon-slayer felt; however, he smirked when he realized Natsu was blushing lightly as he carried him to the bathroom.

Gray set Natsu on his feet inside the bathroom. The dragon-slayer jerked when he felt strong fingers trying to remove his jacket. Natsu's hands shot out to stop them.

"What're you doing?" Natsu asked, alarm clearly lacing his voice.

"I said that you should take a bath. You can't do that with your clothes on. Besides, I know that in your current state, you can't manage this by yourself. Will you let me help you?"

He stared at Natsu for a minute until the fire mage reluctantly nodded his head, giving Gray his approval. The ice mage finished unbuttoning his jacket and pulled it off. Next he moved onto Natsu's shirt. The dragon-slayer looked off to the side as Gray removed that, too.

He inhaled sharply when he felt Gray gently touch the bruises on his chest, but the ice mage didn't say anything, even though a flash of concern passed through his eyes. Instead, he tried to make eye contact with Natsu, but he had his gaze focused elsewhere.

"Why do you feel so cold?" Gray half muttered to himself. "You really should take a bath. A _hot_ bath."

Natsu brought his attention to Gray again. "Okay," he mumbled slowly. Gray got up and turned on the faucet, filling the tub with water.

A few minutes later, Gray returned to his side. "You can finish undressing. Your bath is ready," he announced.

Natsu nodded as he tried making his way to the tub.

Gray rushed to his side, however, when the dragon-slayer started to wobble. "Come on." Gray led him to the tub bit by bit. "Now let's get you warmed up," Gray said, guiding Natsu closer to the tub.

"A bubble bath?" the fire mage inquired, raising an eyebrow at Gray.

"What?" Gray exclaimed, blushing. "The bubble bath isn't yours?"

Natsu managed a laugh. "It's Happy's."

"Never mind that. Get in."

Gray helped Natsu step into the tub. "Hot," he hissed.

"It actually feels hot to you? You really are cold. Take your time," Gray assured him.

As Natsu lowered himself, Gray stood at the edge of the tub.

"I can do this myself you know," Natsu stated when Gray just stood there.

The ice mage snapped out of his stupor. "Okay. I'll be in your room. Call me when you're finished." And with that, Gray left the dragon-slayer to himself.

Natsu slowly and gently washed himself, gasping and hissing every now and then when soap landed in a wound from his last mission. Even though Wendy had mostly healed him, his wounds just weren't going away as fast as they once had. Rinsing himself off, Natsu grabbed one of the large towels in the bathroom. He placed it on the edge of the tub. Carefully lifting himself up, he sat on the edge. Grabbing another big towel, Natsu started drying himself off. As he wrapped the towel securely around himself, he let the water out of the tub.

"Natsu?" The fire mage jumped at the sound, almost falling off the edge of the tub, but Gray caught him.

"I told you to call me when you were done," the ice mage said firmly. "You could have hurt yourself."

"Sorry. I thought I could…" Natsu trailed off and looked at the floor.

Gray didn't know what to make of him at the moment. He was acting so passive and timid.

"Um…here are some clothes you can wear for now," continued Gray, offering Natsu a pile of clothes, which included a pair of boxers. "Get dressed. I brought you something warm to wear. I don't like how cold you're feeling."

Natsu pulled on the red boxers. They were silky and comfortable. He put on the pair of soft black cotton pants next, as well as a warm black sweater and white wool socks.

"Done," the fire mage announced. Gray then helped Natsu back to the bedroom. He pulled back the covers of the bed and told him to get in.

Natsu hesitated for a moment, but he was just so tired. He crawled into the bed and watched in amusement as Gray tucked him in. He even fluffed the pillows so that Natsu could sit up.

"You're acting weird," Natsu said softly.

"I just want to take care of you." Gray sat on the bed next to Natsu. "What happened?" Gray asked gently, referring to the cuts and bruises. The fire mage just seemed to fade out. "Natsu. Please tell me?"

"A little more than week ago, I went on a mission to fight off some thieves. My magic wasn't working right, and I was distracted. The thieves had the upper hand. It wasn't until someone came at me with a knife that my magic worked. I think my magic was trying to protect the baby. All-in-all, I defeated them, but the mayor was angry. He said he wanted the stolen items back. But then he threatened me." At this a tear ran down Natsu's cheek. "He said he was going to throw me in prison until Fairy Tail paid up for the stolen items. I ran away after that. Everything's just been so…overwhelming. I don't know if I can handle it all by myself," Natsu finished.

He wasn't too sure how Gray would react to him being so weak; it couldn't be good. Boy, was he wrong.

"Natsu, you don't have to handle anything by yourself. You have me. You'll always have me," Gray sighed, wrapping his arms around Natsu gently, feeling him tremble from his contained sobs. "Just let it all out." The fire mage let loose and cried harder than he ever had before.

It felt like an hour before Natsu finally stopped crying. _Where'd he dredge up all these tears, anyhow? He's got to be thirsty after this._ "Hey. Are you hungry? I'll go and get you something to eat," Gray offered.

"Okay," Natsu replied softly, patting his eyes dry.

"I'll be right back," Gray said, getting off the bed. He ruffled Natsu's hair in the process.

The fire mage blushed when Gray finally left the room. Letting out his breath, he collapsed on the bed, pulling a big, cushy pillow to his chest. He squeezed it and breathed in.

Natsu tried to calm his thoughts when he heard Gray return. He held a tray filled with all sorts of things. The dragon-slayer sat up again and watched as Gray placed the tray of food in front of him. He sat down on the bed next to Natsu, making himself comfortable.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I just put together whatever I could think of," Gray started sheepishly.

Natsu looked at the tray before him. There was apple juice, milk, a bowl of warm chicken noodle soup, a turkey sandwich, crackers, toast with butter, yogurt, carrot sticks, and diced peaches. Hesitantly, the fire mage reached for the spoon and tasted the soup. It was delicious. In a matter of seconds, he'd downed the bowl. He was _so_ hungry. When was the last time he'd eaten?

Natsu grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. His mouth watered. He devoured everything hungrily, leaving nothing untouched. Feeling completely full for the first time in a while, Natsu leaned back and sighed in content. "That was really good." He turned to look at Gray, only to find an odd expression on his face. "What?" the fire mage asked unsurely.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "When was the last time you ate something? You ate like you were starving."

The last time he ate? "I…I think it was…the day before yesterday?" Natsu answered quietly.

"Why?" Gray stated, unexpectedly more concerned for Natsu's health.

"Um…I didn't feel like eating…because I was so worried and scared about what you would think of all this." Natsu started wringing his hands.

Gray took the tray away and put it on the floor. He got under the covers with Natsu and pulled him into his arms. "Natsu, I'm sorry I made you feel that way. But you don't need to feel worried or afraid, especially of me. I love you. And I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. So we need to get you healthy, okay?"

"Okay." Natsu smiled sweetly, letting his eyes drift closed. "Good…because I…love you…too," he said between yawns.

Gray smiled when he felt Natsu relax against him, his head nestled on his chest. He continued stroking Natsu's hair, even when he heard the fire mage snoring softly. Becoming drowsy himself, the ice mage soon fell asleep as well.

* * *

"AAHH!"

The sudden scream made Natsu and Gray jolt up in bed, confused by whoever was making such a racket.

It turned out that the perpetrator was Happy. He stood facing the two of them, mouth open, with an accusatory finger pointed at them. "What's going on?!"

Natsu sat further up and relaxed against the pillows. "Come here," he said. Happy stared at Gray warily before launching himself into Natsu's arms. "I'll explain everything, okay?"

"You'd better! Gajeel and Wendy wouldn't let me come see you until Gray showed up," exclaimed Happy. "Why couldn't I come home?"

Natsu thought it best to leave out some of the more troubling details. "I needed to talk to Gray first. We're…together. We're mates." The fire mage braced himself for Happy's reaction.

"Mates?" Happy echoed before he started chuckling. "You l-l-like each other!"

"Yeah, we do," said Natsu, clasping Gray's hand in his. "Very much. And there's more."

"More?"

Natsu took Happy's paws and placed them on his stomach. "I'm having a baby."

Happy's eyes stared at Natsus's stomach curiously before lighting up like fireworks. "I'm gonna be a big brother!" he shrieked.

Both Natsu and Gray laughed at that.

"AAHH!" Happy screamed again, pointing at Gray, his face a look of horror. "DOES THIS MEAN I HAVE TO CALL YOU DAD?!"

Gray burst out laughing. "No. You can still call me Gray."

The look of horror faded and was replaced by a mischievous smirk. "Maybe I should call you old man."

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Do that and I'll tell Charle you think she's fat."

Natsu watched in amusement as Gray and Happy had their mini staring contest. "You know what? How about I make some cookies?"

Happy's eyes lit up. "Okay! I'll go get the stuff!" he shouted before racing out of the bedroom.

"You definitely know how to diffuse a situation," commented Gray. "But I have to say, he took that surprisingly well."

"He did," Natsu replied with a smile. "How about you go take a shower? I know you just came back from a mission. Go get cleaned up."

"Are you gonna be okay by yourself?" asked Gray, reluctant to go.

"I'll only be in the other room. Besides, Happy's here."

"Okay." Gray gave him a peck on the lips. "If you're feeling up for it, go make some cookies."

* * *

Gray got out of the bathroom. He felt so good after having a shower. Although, it had been a much longer shower than he'd anticipated. He'd been lost in thought about how his life had changed so fast. He was going to spend the rest of his life with Natsu, and they had a baby on the way! Life couldn't get any better!

Suddenly, a wonderful scent wafted into the bedroom. The ice mage followed his nose, since he could smell freshly baked cookies in the air and headed for the kitchen. He loved Natsu's cooking. He couldn't get enough of it; especially his cookies.

He saw Natsu standing at the kitchen counter next to a bowl of chocolate-chip cookie dough, waiting for a batch of cookies to finish baking in the oven. Happy sat at the table. But Gray focused his attentions on Natsu, who was temporarily ignoring his company.

The dragon-slayer looked pale.

Gray knew he shouldn't be surprised, what with all he'd been through the past couple weeks. He frowned as he watched him consume a spoonful of cookie dough. Gray believed it couldn't be good for him, but it appeared Natsu thought it was okay.

But…maybe Gray was right. No, he knew it wasn't good for him. In fact, Natsu was turning positively green.

Gray had barely opened his mouth to comment on this when Natsu tossed the spoon into the bowl and ran from the kitchen.

He bolted after him, sprinting to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Natsu?"

"Go away!" he groaned miserably. "This baby's making me sick. Dragon-slayer pregnancies suck! "

Gray could hear that readily enough, and the sound made him queasy as well. _Is he going to be like this throughout his whole pregnancy?_ Gray thought nauseously. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, and opened the door.

Peering inside, he saw that Natsu was just turning on the faucet to rinse out his mouth. Gray just stood in the doorway, feeling utterly useless. He waited until Natsu was finished, then turned him gently around and pulled him into his arms.

"Do you want me to take you back to the bedroom so you can go to bed?" Gray asked sensitively.

"No, I'm fine. Really, Gray," Natsu replied, pushing back and looking up at him with a soft smile. "I still need to make cookies." He left his arms, took his hand, and led him back into the kitchen.

Gray followed aimlessly, wondering what possessed him to continue baking if the smell made him sick. He allowed Natsu to push him into a chair and then he looked at Happy.

"He says he's fine," Gray announced, as if he were randomly searching for another answer.

"Of course he is," said Happy, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The nausea isn't going to last forever. And besides, it's your fault he's in his current condition in the first place!"

Natsu threw an oven mitt at him and glared. Happy just giggled. "Just shut up! All of you!" he snapped, but then his face went green again as he ran for the bathroom once more, this time without shutting the door behind him. They could hear Natsu retching in the bathroom.

And very soon, those cookies looked less and less appealing.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	5. Revelation

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Revelation (Rated T)**

"You do realize we'll have to go to the guild sometime, right?" questioned Gray as they sat around the table eating breakfast. Well, Gray and Happy were eating; Natsu was forcing himself to eat through his newly acquired morning sickness.

"Ugh," Natsu moaned as he difficultly swallowed another spoonful of food. "Do we have to?"

"They're our friends. They should know."

"What the old man said," added Happy, which earned him a glare from the ice mage.

The fire mage set down his spoon. He didn't think he'd be able to stomach anymore food. "Fine."

Gray frowned at him. "What are you so worried about?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know. Things are just changing so fast that it's hard for my brain to catch up."

"I understand," replied Gray warmly. "A lot has happened in a short amount of time, but I'm glad for it. The guild will be, too."

* * *

Lucy groaned, dropping her head onto the table with a resounding thud. Levy chanced a glance at her friend, alarm marring her features.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" the small girl asked.

The blonde sat back up, rubbing the red mark that was now showing on her forehead. "Ow."

"What did ya expect to happen when ya slammed your head on the table?" taunted Gajeel as he entered the guild. He sat next to Levy and Lucy.

"You could at least be a _little_ concerned!"

"Why? It's not like ya have anything in there worth damaging anyway, Bunny-girl."

Before Lucy could lunge and make the dragon-slayer a victim of homicide, Erza entered the guild looking quite flustered and aggravated. "Sit down, Lucy. There are other matters at hand!"

Gulping because Lucy wasn't used to Erza snapping at her, the blonde seated herself. "Sorry, Erza."

"Now, if I can have everyone's attention, there is some news the Master has decided to drop on me without warning. And for that, you all shall suffer greatly, but no more so than I."

The guild members stilled when Erza appeared to be holding back some sort of psychotic break.

"Team Natsu is hereby disbanded until further notice." The guild erupted in hushed murmurs.

Lucy shot up in her chair, stunned. "Why?!"

"If you'd let me finish without interruption, I might be able to tell you."

Lucy sank down in her seat. With the look she was receiving, the blonde supposed that this news was hitting Erza harder than anyone. "Okay," she squeaked in response.

"Master has not relayed any details other than the fact that Natsu and Gray spoke with him early this morning. He stated that due to some unforeseen circumstances, Team Natsu will be disbanded. The only person allowed to summon forth the team again…is Natsu," she ground out. "Apparently _he's_ the one who requested the team be disbanded."

Lucy's thoughts whirred. Why would Natsu request such a thing? Were Natsu and Gray really not getting along well enough that the fire mage had decided to just do-away with their group altogether.

The blonde looked to Levy and Gajeel to voice her thoughts, but hesitated when she noticed the look on the dragon-slayer's face. "You know something," she declared.

Gajeel's eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second before he began denying the accusation profusely. "I don't know a damn thing!"

"Yes, you do!"

"I have to agree with Lucy on this one," said Levy. "You know something."

"I do not!"

"Is that so?" Gajeel jerked at the question, not realizing Erza stood behind him. He spun around to face her. "You don't know the reason behind this? As a member of this guild, answer me honestly!"

Gajeel crossed his arms and averted his eyes. "Maybe I do know somethin' about this. But I sure as hell ain't gonna tell ya! That's up to Natsu…and Gray."

Erza narrowed her eyes. "So Gray _did_ do something to Natsu. What did he do?"

"That ain't for me to say either! That's between Natsu, Gray, me, and Wendy!"

The eyes of the three women widened. "Wendy?!" they shouted.

Erza turned, spotting Wendy across the guild. If anyone would tell her anything, it would be Wendy. "Wendy! Come here this instant!" she roared.

The small dragon-slayer looked frightened, but she approached Erza nonetheless. "Yes, Erza?"

"Tell me what is going on between Gray and Natsu! What did Gray do to Natsu? And why would that make him disband our team?" she demanded.

Wendy chanced a glance at Gajeel. "I can't tell you," she said in a small voice. "I'm really sorry, but I can't break Natsu's trust."

Erza would have been proud of such a loyal statement if she hadn't been so angry. She wanted to break something. Or someone. Preferably Natsu or Gray.

The requip mage had been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the guild doors open until someone said—in an uneasy voice—"We're home!"

Erza turned to see a giggling Happy, a smug Gray, and a nervous Natsu. "Gray! Natsu! I demand answers!" she exclaimed as she approached them. "Firstly, what did you do to Natsu, Gray?"

The ice mage sobered up at that, suddenly growing anxious. "Um…well, you see…"

"Did you _hurt_ him?" demanded Erza.

"What? No!"

Erza punched him, causing Gray to fly into a table. "Then why is he covered in bruises? The only explanation I see if that you two have been fighting!"

"I-I got that from a mission," stammered Natsu as he tried desperately to get control over his voice. Why was telling the truth so hard?

"And you!" yelled Erza, turning her attention toward the dragon-slayer. "You go running off, get yourself injured, and then disband Team Natsu?! What're you thinking? Maybe you're not thinking at all. Do you really care for your teammates so little that you do something so selfish? Perhaps I need to clobber some sense into you!"

Gray got up from the floor, words running through his head as his instincts took over. _Danger. Mate. Protect._

Many things happened at once, and so fast that it was hard to explain what just occurred.

Before Erza even knew it, an ice blade was pointed at her throat with Gray standing menacingly in front of her, blocking her from Natsu; he looked predatory and feral. Wendy and Gajeel were flanked at Natsu's sides in a similar stance to Gray's.

"Stay…away…from Natsu," Gray ground out, finishing off with a threatening growl.

The guild became deathly quiet as they watched the stare-down between Erza, the dragon-slayers and Gray. Nobody moved.

A few suspenseful moments later, Natsu placed a hand on Gray's shoulder from behind. "It's okay," he whispered.

Reluctantly, Gray dissipated his ice blade and resumed a normal stance. Wendy and Gajeel returned to normal as well.

But Gray wasn't finished. "Never threaten my mate again. Do you understand me, Erza? Never," he warned.

The requip mage paused. "Mate?"

Natsu maneuvered himself around Gray to speak with Erza directly. "You were asking what Gray _did_ to me. Well, we've been seeing each other for awhile now, and we've become mates."

"You're mates," Erza stated, stunned.

"You two are together?!" screamed Lucy.

"Gray-sama, no!" wailed Juvia.

Natsu nodded.

"O-Okay," stammered Erza, as the information sank in. "B-But why does our team have to be disbanded? Bisca and Alzack are together yet they're still a team."

Happy burst out laughing. "Gray did something _else_ to Natsu!"

Natsu shot the Exceed a warning glare.

"I don't understand," said Erza. What more could there be?

The fire mage fidgeted uneasily when he felt all eyes of the guild resting on him, waiting in anticipation. "I-It's a bit of a dragon-slayer thing, but I…I-I'm…"

"Just spit it out already," snapped Gajeel.

Natsu took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant!"

There was a lengthy pause before all hell broke loose.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	6. Motion Sickness

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Please vote in my POLL on my profile page!

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Motion Sickness (Rated T)**

"P-P-P-Pregnant?!" Erza stuttered as her face flushed. Natsu nodded. "How?"

"How else? They had sex. Gihi," replied Gajeel, placing an arm around Natsu's shoulders.

"S-S-S-Sex?" Erza looked like she was either going to faint or explode.

Lucy, on the other hand—although surprised—decided to lead the requip mage away for the time being. "I'm going to let Erza process this for a while," she said. "Congrats, Natsu. I really am happy for you."

"Thanks," muttered the fire mage.

The rest of the guild, however, just stared at their fire dragon-slayer in shock. It was Juvia who broke the silence.

"Natsu-san is pregnant with Gray-sama's baby?" she said.

Both fire mage and ice mage flinched. They'd forgotten about Juvia. Who knew what she'd do.

"Yes," replied Natsu, awaiting the water mage's meltdown.

"And does Natsu-san love Gray-sama?"

"Yeah. I love him." Natsu heard Mira and Lisanna squeal in the background.

Juvia approached Natsu and grabbed his hands in hers. "Then Juvia will protect Natsu-san and his and Gray-sama's baby. Juvia…Juvia loves Gray-sama deeply, but…Natsu-san is who Gray-sama has chosen. So Juvia will protect them because they are her precious comrades."

Natsu smiled in relief. "Thank you, Juvia."

The water mage then leaned in toward Natsu's ear. "But beware of Lucy the Love Rival. Juvia still thinks she is after our Gray-sama."

"I heard that!" snapped Lucy from the other side of the guild. "And for the last time, I'm not a Love Rival!"

"Only a Love Rival would say that, Love Rival!" Juvia responded.

As the two quarreled about who was and was not a Love Rival, Gray stepped up to Natsu again. "She took that better than I expected."

"That makes two of us," the fire mage replied.

The next few minutes resulted in members of the guild approaching Natsu and Gray and congratulating them, letting them know that if they needed anything, to just ask. They replied that they would and soon found themselves being approached by Lucy and a much calmer Erza.

"I apologize for my earlier display," started the requip mage. "I was overwhelmed by the fact Team Natsu had been disbanded until further notice. And you two being together with a…b-baby on the way surprised me. Feel free to hit me for my lack of decorum on the matter."

"I'll…pass," said Natsu. "Are…you okay with this?"

Erza smiled warmly at him. "It is wonderful news. I am happy that you have found someone, Natsu. And Gray!" her head snapped toward the ice mage, a stern glare on her face.

"Y-Yes?" Gray did _not_ like the look he was receiving right now.

"If you hurt Natsu, you will answer to me," she warned.

"You might have to get in line," said Natsu. "Gajeel already called dibs."

Erza nodded curtly. "Then I shall work out a schedule with Gajeel. We can take turns or work together."

Gray stared dumbfounded as Erza walked over to Gajeel and started planning for—what he supposed was—his ultimate demise if harm befell Natsu due to him. Did no one else see that this was going overboard?

"Don't worry about it, Gray," said Lucy encouragingly. "You'll be fine…unless you hurt Natsu."

"I'm not going to hurt Natsu!" Gray protested. "I swear!"

"Good," said Lucy.

"How does the baby come out?" Levy asked suddenly. Leave it to the script mage to ask the most obvious question in the world. The guild silenced themselves again.

Natsu fidgeted when Gray stared at him. Why hadn't he thought to ask this before? "How _does_ the baby come out?" the ice mage asked.

The fire mage glanced at Gajeel before answering. "I don't know."

"You don't know," Gray repeated. "What do you mean you don't know?!" The ice mage started to panic.

"We don't know," said Gajeel. "We don't know much about dragon-slayer pregnancies, just dragons."

"Well, what happens during a dragon pregnancy?" Gray asked.

"They lay eggs," Wendy stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's not what I…have there ever been—you know—same gender mates with dragons? What happens?"

"The body chemistry of a dragon shifts so they can lay the eggs," said Gajeel. "But we ain't full-blooded dragons, so we don't know what's gonna happen."

"So what do we do?" asked Gray, turning his attention back to Natsu.

"We rely on our instincts," replied Natsu, "and use the knowledge we were raised with to get us through this."

"Which is why," Gajeel cut in, "I've sent word to Sabertooth. You and Gray are gonna meet up with Sting and Rogue to tell them what's happened. They need to know."

Natsu sighed. He knew he'd have to speak to them some time, but he didn't realize it would be so soon. "Okay."

"I'm glad ya agreed to that so easily. Your train leaves at one o'clock," said Gajeel.

"We have to take a train?!" exclaimed Natsu. "Not only do I have morning sickness already, but I've got to deal with motion sickness, too?!"

"Have fun. Gihi," said Gajeel, patting Gray on the back, leaving him to deal with an overly anxious mate.

* * *

Gray came to the following two conclusions. He was either going to be traveling all over Fiore on all manners of transportation for the duration of Natsu's pregnancy, or he was going to have to keep his mate pregnant for all eternity.

Natsu + Pregnancy = No Motion Sickness

It was astounding.

"I feel great!" exclaimed Natsu, taking in the scenery that flashed by them from the train. "I haven't felt like this on a train since Wendy's Troia."

Gray had to smile at that. "I'm glad."

"I wonder if it's the baby. Do you think me being pregnant stopped my motion sickness?"

The ice mage shrugged. "Maybe? I figure you need some sort of reprieve since you've already got morning sickness."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I never thought the idea of food would nauseate me more than a train."

Gray chuckled. "Well, it looks like we're almost there. What are you going to say to them?" he asked, referring to Sting and Rogue.

"They'll figure it out before I even have to say a word," replied Natsu. "They'll smell it. But I do want to ask if they recall anything about dragon mates and pregnancies from their dragon parents."

"Sounds like a plan."

"After they threaten you, of course."

Gray inwardly groaned. Would the threats never end?

* * *

Natsu paused outside of Sabertooth's guild doors.

"What's wrong?" asked Gray.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Natsu."

"I guess I'm just nervous."

"About what?" asked Gray.

"About what people are gonna think of me. I don't want everyone to start treating me differently because I'm…you know."

"People will only treat you differently if you give them a reason to do so. Just be yourself. Be Natsu."

The dragon-slayer nodded and opened the guild doors, and he swore he had just stepped into Fairy Tail. A guild brawl had broken out.

"Well, this is unexpected," muttered Gray as someone crashed into a table in front of them.

Natsu groaned. He was tired, cranky, and really just wanted to curl up and take a nap. He just wanted to talk to Sting and Rogue, eat something, sleep, and go home. He did not want to deal with…well, this. He didn't have time for this.

"OI! KNOCK IT OFF!" the fire dragon-slayer roared, shocking not only the members of Sabertooth, but Gray as well.

The members of Sabertooth ceased their actions immediately and stared at their new guests that they had undoubtedly ignored.

"Natsu!" Sting shouted, a grin on his face as he raced over to his fellow dragon-slayer, followed closely by Rogue, who walked at a more leisurely pace. "Gajeel sent word you'd be…" He paused and started sniffing Natsu. "You smell funny."

"Can…Can we go somewhere a little more…private?" asked Natsu.

"Sure. Let's go to my office," replied Sting, eying the fire mage curiously.

Gray and Natsu followed Sting and Rogue to a fairly large room upstairs. Once inside, Rogue closed the door.

"So why do you smell funny? You don't smell like…well, yourself," started Sting.

"Can you really not tell?" questioned Rogue as he crossed his arms.

"Tell what?"

"I'm pregnant, Sting," said Natsu. "Gray's my mate."

That information seemed to floor the Sabertooth Guild Master. "That's…possible?" he replied, chancing a quick glance at Rogue before approaching Natsu. He stared at the fire mage's stomach curiously.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Gray demanded when Sting grabbed Natsu around the waist and placed his ear to the fire mage's abdomen.

"Listening," he said, frowning in concentration. After a few minutes, a smile broke out on his face. "I can sorta hear it. A heartbeat, I think. It's really fast but light…like…hummingbird wings."

Natsu smiled and ruffled Sting's hair.

The white dragon-slayer rose to his feet and hugged Natsu. "This must be so exciting for you and Gray! I'm happy for you!"

"Thanks. I'm happy, too."

"Gray!" said Sting, turning his attention to the ice mage.

 _Here we go with the threats_ , Gray thought. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad Natsu found himself a good mate."

That was not what Gray had been expecting. "That's it?"

The smile dropped from Sting's face. "What do you mean that's it?"

"You're not going to threaten me?"

"Why would I threaten you?"

"Like if I hurt Natsu."

"Are you _going_ to hurt Natsu?"

"No," replied Gray.

"Then you don't need to worry about me threatening you," said Sting. "Besides, if anything happened to Natsu, you'd have to answer to Rogue first. And there wouldn't be much left of you to threaten after that once he's done with you. Isn't that right, Rogue?"

Rogue's attention was drawn away from the soft-spoken conversation he and Natsu had been having by Sting's comments. He just nodded in response and returned to his quiet conversation, a look of longing in his eyes.

"I'm glad to hear the news, though," said Sting, turning his attention back to Gray. "How far along is he?"

"Almost a month now."

"A month, huh? So was there something you two needed other than telling us the good news?"

"Yeah," said Natsu, jumping into the conversation. It seemed he was finished speaking with Rogue. "I wanted to know if you remember your parents saying anything about dragon mates and pregnancies. We don't know much. Like how I deliver the baby and stuff."

"Oh," replied Sting, frowning in thought. "Well, dragons mate for life. And when you go in heat and do the deed, so to speak, you can get pregnant. But you two have figured out that much already."

"And Gray is already starting to smell like—mmph." Rogue was cut off by a hand covering his mouth…by Natsu.

That caught Gray's attention. "I'm starting to smell like what?"

Sting looked over at the two other dragon-slayers. Rogue looked a tad guilty for revealing something he supposed he shouldn't, and Natsu sent him a pleading look.

"Um," started Sting. "You're starting to smell like a dragon."

Natsu's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

"You know, because you mated with Natsu and all. You're bound to smell like each other," finished Sting quickly after receiving a heated glare from both the fire and shadow dragon-slayers. So they were keeping that a secret for now, huh?

"Okay," replied Gray unsurely. "So…what were you two talking about earlier?"

Rogue and Natsu looked at one another briefly before responding. "I was wondering," started Rogue, "if I could go back to Fairy Tail with you and Natsu for the duration of Natsu's pregnancy."

Gray narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why?"

"I…want to see how this goes. This is all very new, and I didn't even know it was possible," replied Rogue. He looked at Sting pleadingly. "If it's all right with you, may I go back with them?"

Sting's heart melted at the gaze. He knew why Rogue wanted to go, and he'd be damned if he didn't let him. "You can go, but I'm coming with you."

"Wait. What?" responded Gray. "You're a Guild Master. You can't just leave…can you?"

"I can do the work I need to from Fairy Tail, and I think leaving Rufus in charge will suffice for the time being," answered Sting. "What do you think, Natsu? Do you mind if we tag along?"

"I don't mind," replied Natsu warmly.

Gray watched inquisitively as a small smile broke out on Rogue's face when he reached out to touch Natsu's stomach. He looked over at Sting, who had a similar expression on his face. Just what the hell was going on with those two? Why were they so invested in Natsu's pregnancy?

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	7. On Leave

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Please vote in my POLL on my profile page! So far, it's a three-way tie!

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – On Leave (Rated T)**

"How come you guys aren't motion sick?" Gray asked as he stared at the other two dragon-slayers who sat opposite him and Natsu on the train which was headed back to Magnolia. He knew Natsu's reason, but not Sting and Rogue's.

A bright grin spread across Sting's face. "Yukino makes these motion sickness brownies. They do wonders for our equilibrium."

"I'm surprised you know such a complex word," Rogue stated in surprise.

"Hey! I know big words!"

"Do you know what they mean, or are you just repeating words other people have said?"

Sting huffed and crossed his arms, staring out the window looking annoyed. Rogue just rolled his eyes.

"Where are you guys going to stay?" asked Natsu.

Sting and Rogue's eyes widened in shock. They hadn't thought about that. They'd been too eager to stay with Natsu during his pregnancy.

"Um," started Sting.

"We hadn't thought that far ahead," said Rogue.

An idea suddenly hit Gray. "I haven't gotten rid of my apartment yet. What if you stay there? I'm moving into Natsu's house. And I plan on adding onto it, so paying rent for an apartment is out of the question."

"That's actually a good idea. What do you think, Sting?" asked Rogue.

"Perfect!" Sting replied with another grin.

* * *

"Look who we found," announced Gray as he entered Fairy Tail with Natsu, Sting, and Rogue.

"Sabertooth's Guild Master Sting and Rogue," greeted Makarov. "To what do we owe this visit?"

Sting wrapped his arms around Natsu and Rogue's shoulders and drew them to his sides, earning a growl from Gray. "We're gonna hang out here for the next eight months or so."

Makarov stared at him blankly.

"We're here to help out with Natsu's pregnancy," clarified Rogue.

"Oh!" replied Makarov, surprised. "Is it all right for you to be away from your guild, Master Sting?"

"Just call me Sting. I hate all that fancy stuff. And I can handle most things from here. If the guild needs me, I can go there for a bit before coming back. It's not a problem."

"Well, if that is your decision," replied Makarov. "I suppose I should say welcome to our humble abode. Do you have a place to stay?"

"We'll be residing in Gray's old residence," said Rogue. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I need to make sure Natsu eats something." The shadow dragon-slayer led Natsu to the bar where he gave Mira clear instructions on what to make Natsu.

Gray watched the two dragon-slayers for a moment before turning his attention to Sting. "I don't like it when you touch him."

"Who? Natsu?" replied Sting. Gray nodded. "Really? What about when Rogue does it?"

The ice mage frowned. That…didn't actually bother him. Why did Sting bother him?

"I understand you're confused, but until you figure it out for yourself, I'm not saying another word," he said as he headed over to where Rogue and Natsu sat. He took a seat next to the fire dragon-slayer.

"Stop provoking him," whispered Natsu, turning a sharp glare on Sting.

The white dragon-slayer just shrugged. "He needs a little push."

"Well, I want you to stop."

"He's already showing signs, Natsu. The sooner this happens, the better. You know I'm right."

Natsu sighed. "But…"

"It's for the best, Natsu."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

"This place isn't so bad," commented Sting as he entered Gray's apartment. "It's nice and cozy."

"I agree," replied Rogue as he set his bags down. "I can't wait to send for Lector and Frosch."

"I already spent half the morning moving my stuff out," said Gray. "The furniture and some of the other furnishings stay because they originally came with the place. I didn't have much to begin with, so it's still pretty clean."

"Well, I like it," replied Sting.

"There's only one bed, though. So someone will probably have to take the couch unless you buy another bed," added Gray.

Sting had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. "That really won't be a problem."

"All right," said the ice mage, unclear as to why Sting looked so amused. "I'll be heading home now. I need to make sure Natsu's all right."

"Sure thing," said Sting. "See you later, Gray."

"Bye, Gray," Rogue stated.

With that, the ice mage took his leave, shutting the door to the apartment behind him.

"So," began Sting as he approached Rogue, "how are you feeling about all this?"

Rogue wrapped his arms around Sting's neck, melting into his embrace. "I'm very happy for Natsu, and I want to help him through this."

"And?"

The shadow dragon-slayer looked up at Sting's startling blue eyes. "I didn't think it was possible to have children. Starting a family had always been something I'd dreamed about, but I'd let that dream dissipate when I fell in love with you. And I was all right with that because I knew I'd found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

Sting kissed Rogue's forehead. "And now?"

"I want to have a baby with you," said Rogue, his voice cracking.

The white dragon-slayer smiled warmly at him. "I would love that. I would love that very much. We haven't committed to a mating bite yet. So are you asking that we become forever mates?"

Rogue nodded. "That's what I'm asking. Do you want this?"

"I would love nothing more than to become your mate. You have no idea how much I love you. It's been especially hard these past few weeks since you've been in heat."

The shadow dragon-slayer blushed. "Don't say things like that!"

"Why? It's normal for people like us," replied Sting with a laugh. "And I'm pretty sure you drilled Natsu for information. Don't think I didn't notice how closely you two were talking together."

"I did," said Rogue. "I wanted to know exactly how it occurred for Natsu."

"So that we could recreate the circumstances and get you knocked up?"

"Would you stop being so blunt?! It's embarrassing!"

"I don't think we've even gotten to the embarrassing part yet."

"Sting!"

The white dragon-slayer laughed. "I'm teasing. So what did Natsu have to say?"

"Well, he said he didn't realize he was in heat, so it must have been his first. Natsu claimed that he felt a little different, closer to Gray than he had been before. They had…"

"Come on. I know you can say the word."

"S-Sex," Rogue spat out with a blush. "During it, Natsu bit Gray. He went to Gajeel and Wendy the next day, and Wendy confirmed that he was pregnant."

"It sounds simple," said Sting. "Gray doesn't know what's going to happen to him, does he?"

Rogue shook his head. "Natsu wants to keep it from him for now."

"That's what I don't understand," replied Sting. "Why?"

"Gray hasn't bitten him back yet," said Rogue. "Natsu wants Gray to do it of his own volition, not because it's what's expected of him."

"I'm just afraid that Gray will resist his instincts too long and accidentally hurt Natsu," commented Sting. "I can already tell he's fighting it."

"Is that why you've been provoking him by getting so close to Natsu?"

"More or less. He's not threatened by you because he senses that you are not a dominant. He's threatened by me because he senses I am and haven't mated yet."

Rogue sighed. "You're going to get yourself seriously injured if you force him into snapping."

"I suppose, but it's better than the alternative."

Rogue had to agree to that. "I guess."

"Now," started Sting, "how about we tend to _other_ matters?"

"Like what?"

Sting nuzzled Rogue's face with his. "Like finally becoming mates. I want to be with you, Rogue. I love you desperately."

Rogue's words got caught in his throat, so he nodded to indicate his compliance.

"Let's go find the bedroom."

* * *

When Gray arrived home, he found Natsu busying himself about the kitchen. "What're you up to?" he asked.

The dragon-slayer turned and gave a small smile. "I'm making tea. Mira and Rogue recommended a few options that are supposed to help with my morning sickness."

Gray stepped behind him and sniffed. "It smells awful."

"It tastes just as bad," Natsu replied with a grimace. "But surprisingly enough, it helps. I actually feel like I can eat something without throwing it back up."

"That's good. You want me to make you something?" asked Gray.

"You don't have to."

"I know, but I want to. Have a seat and relax. Let me take care of you for awhile."

Natsu finally conceded and took a seat at the kitchen table. He watched Gray go about making what looked like a stew on the stove. "I have to go on leave," he said, breaking the silence. "I can't go on missions anymore."

"I'm aware. And I know that's going to be hard for you," replied Gray as he stirred his concoction.

"It just worries me."

"What does?"

Natsu sighed. "Taking care of a baby is expensive. Are we really going to be okay? I mean, you're the only one who can go on missions, and I know we talked about adding onto the house. Can we really do all that?"

"We're going to be fine, Natsu," comforted Gray. "I have a bit of money saved up. I'll take what jobs I can that won't keep me away from you for long. But if it really worries you that much—and you're feeling up for it—maybe you can ask Master if there's something you can do for the guild that won't be too strenuous."

Natsu hummed in approval. "All right. I'll speak with Gramps tomorrow."

"I guess that's settled then," said Gray as he placed a steaming bowl of stew in front of Natsu. It smelled heavenly. "Now eat up."

Natsu eagerly picked up his spoon and devoured the meal in a matter of minutes. "That was good. You should cook more often."

"I wouldn't mind," replied Gray, wrapping an arm around Natsu's shoulders and kissing him on the cheek. But then he paused. He smelled something. He smelled Sting.

"What's wrong?" asked Natsu when he heard Gray growl.

The ice mage wasn't quite sure himself. "I smell him on you. I smell Sting."

Natsu hesitated when he noticed the feral look in Gray's eyes. "I'm sure you do. Both of us have been hanging around Sting and Rogue."

"But I don't like it," said Gray. "I don't like his smell on you."

The dragon-slayer reached out and stroked Gray's cheek. "It's fine."

"No, it's not. I don't want him near you," snapped the ice mage.

 _Shit_ , Natsu thought. _His instincts are kicking in. Hard._ "Gray, it really is okay. I'm _your_ mate."

" _My_ mate," stated Gray. His eyes flared, landing on Natsu's neck. He leaned forward and pulled the scarf from around the dragon-slayer while yanking him forward.

"Gray!"

"My mate!" Gray growled, pulling Natsu even closer. He sniffed along Natsu's neck and gave a tentative lick. A rumble came from deep within his throat before he bit down on the exposed flesh.

"Ah!" Natsu gasped. It hurt! It hurt so much! He tapped Gray to get him to ease up, but if anything, the ice mage just bit down harder.

When Gray finally let go, he seemed to regain control over his senses. "Oh, god! Natsu! I'm so sorry!"

The dragon-slayer placed a hand to his neck, which was bleeding a little bit. He just knew it was going to leave a bruise. "Gray, you don't need to apologize."

"But I hurt you! Why the hell did I do that?!"

"Gray," said Natsu, placing his hands on the ice mage's shoulders, "you were going to do this sooner or later."

"I don't understand."

"When I bit you, it meant we became mates. But our mating wasn't complete. You still needed to bite me. Since you were not a dragon-slayer, we had to wait for your…well, your instincts to kick in. It seems they finally kicked in. Although, I think Sting provoking you had something to do with it."

"You mean I was supposed to bite you back." Natsu nodded. "Why didn't you tell me I had to do that?"

"It needed to happen naturally," answered the fire mage. "Me biting you set things in motion, so we needed to wait for your instincts to do the rest."

"You keep mentioning my instincts. I'm not sure what you mean."

"Well, you felt threatened by Sting, didn't you?"

"Sort of," said Gray.

"That's because he's what's called a dominant. It's like a dragon version of an alpha. You felt threatened by him because you're also a dominant since you mated with me. You sensed an unmated dominant, that's why your instinct to bite me kicked in. Since I hadn't been bitten, you feared he'd bite me. But you never really had to worry about that to begin with."

"Huh? Why not?" Honestly, Gray was still trying to get over the fact that he had dragon instincts.

"Sting and Rogue are together. They haven't mated, though," Natsu replied with a laugh.

Gray blushed slightly. That explained why Sting had said having one bed wouldn't be a problem for them. "Oh. Well, I feel like an idiot."

"You are an idiot. But you're my idiot."

Gray looked at the bite mark on Natsu's neck. It was now turning a nasty shade of purple. "I really hurt you, didn't I? I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"You were just following your instincts, Gray." _And it seems you'll become quite an aggressive and protective dragon._

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	8. Getting a Job

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Please vote in my POLL on my profile page! So far, it's a three-way tie!

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Getting a Job (Rated T)**

Sting flinched when the morning sunlight shone through the window. Stretching with a contented groan, he smiled pleasantly when he remembered last night. It had been fantastic. Reaching over the side of the bed to cuddle with Rogue, he felt…nothing.

Eyes snapping open, he noticed that Rogue was nowhere in sight.

"Rogue?" he called. No response.

Getting out of the bed, he threw on his clothes and wandered around the apartment. Rogue's scent was here, but he was not.

"Where the hell is he?" he muttered to himself. "The guild?"

Deciding to head there anyway—and to follow his nose—he opened the door to the apartment and sniffed for Rogue. He couldn't smell him. How had he suddenly lost his scent?

Worry hit him like a blast of ice water. Why couldn't he smell Rogue? Why couldn't he smell his mate?

* * *

Natsu busied himself about the kitchen by eating breakfast. Gray was still in bed, out like a light. The fire mage had even tried to wake his mate with a good morning kiss. When that hadn't worked, he'd smacked him in the face.

Gray had continued sleeping. Maybe the past few weeks had finally caught up with the ice mage. Natsu couldn't blame him for that.

A sudden knock on the door drew Natsu out of his thoughts.

"Who's that?" asked Happy, looking up from his fish.

"I don't know," replied Natsu as he headed for the door. He was surprised, however, when he found Rogue standing there. "Rogue! What're you doing here?"

"May I come in?"

Natsu nodded and let the shadow dragon-slayer inside. "You smell different."

"I mated with Sting last night," Rogue blurted with a blush.

The fire mage felt his face turn red. "O-Okay?"

"A-And I did what you did, so can we…can we go see Wendy?"

Natsu felt his gaze soften. The minute Rogue had found out he was pregnant, he'd begged him for all the details. Rogue was so desperate for a child, a child he could have with the one he loved. Natsu had to admit, it was a wonderful feeling.

"Happy, do you think you could go bring Wendy here? I don't think we want to cause a ruckus at the guild," said Natsu.

Happy gobbled down the rest of his fish. "Sure. What do I tell her?"

"For now, say I'm asking for a check-up."

The Exceed nodded. "I'll be back in a flash," he said as he zoomed out of the house.

Natsu turned his attention to Rogue, who was fidgeting. "Why are you here without Sting?"

"I got a bit overanxious. I woke up really early, started pacing, and when I could wait anymore, I came here. I did try to wake Sting. I really did. But he sleeps like the dead."

"He's gonna freak when he wakes up, you know."

"I left a note."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You and I both know he's too obtuse to find a note."

"That's what Lector's f—I forgot! Frosch and Lector are still at Sabertooth! Sting's going to tear apart the city looking for me!"

"If he can find you," said Natsu.

"What do you mean?"

"You smell different. Sting might have a hard time tracking you. He won't be used to your new smell. The same thing happened when Gajeel and Wendy tried to find me after I…ran away."

Rogue frowned. "I still can't believe you put yourself in danger like that."

"Me neither. I wasn't thinking straight. I guess I kinda forgot that I had people here to support me," said Natsu.

"Well, fear of the unknown is a powerful thing," replied Rogue. "Speaking of which, does Gray know yet?"

Natsu had the decency to look guilty. "Not exactly. We're taking things slow. He did bite me last night, though."

Rogue stepped closer to Natsu, eyeing a slight purplish mark that wasn't quite hidden beneath his scarf. He pulled it down to reveal the bite and grimaced. "That looks like it hurts. He was so rough with you."

"It did hurt, but he didn't mean to be so rough," explained the fire mage. "This change is gonna hit Gray hard. I'm going to need Sting's help with him."

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked curiously.

Natsu looked at him worriedly. "Gray's instincts are very…primal, I should say. He won't see Sting as a threat anymore since you two are now mated, but Gajeel's a completely different story. Even though Gajeel's like a brother to me, Gray might not see it that way. He might see him as a threat to me and…attack."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure we make this transition for Gray as easy as possible."

"Thanks, Rogue."

"AAH!"

Natsu and Rogue jumped when they heard Gray yell. Bolting in the direction of the sound, the two dragon-slayers soon found the ice mage staring at himself in the mirror looking horrified.

"What the hell, Gray?! I thought something was seriously wrong!" scolded Natsu when he realized there was no threat in the vicinity.

"There is something wrong! Look at me!" shouted Gray, waving his hand at the mirror.

"You're not making any sense," said Rogue.

"AAH!"

"Would you stop screaming?!" shouted Natsu.

"When did he get here?!"

"Irrelevant," stated Rogue. "Now do you mind explaining yourself?"

"It's my teeth!" said Gray.

"What about your teeth?" asked Natsu.

"They're pointy. Last night, they weren't pointy. This morning, they're pointy."

"Pointy?"

"They look like yours! See?" said Gray, opening his mouth and pointing to his especially sharp canines.

"Oh," Rogue and Natsu said simultaneously.

"What do you mean oh? How are you not freaking out like me?"

"Because…this is supposed to happen?" Natsu responded sheepishly.

"What do you mean this is supposed to happen?"

Natsu looked to Rogue for help, which only caused the shadow dragon-slayer to sigh. "What Natsu means to say is that this is to be expected since the two of you mated. You're going through a…change, for lack of a better word."

"A change," Gray repeated. "What kind of change?"

Natus found the floor to be very interesting. "You're not a dragon-slayer, but you mated with one. So nature is…kinda helping out here by…well…"

"You're turning into a dragon-slayer," Rogue stated, always the blunt one.

"I'm…what?!"

"Because you mated with me—a dragon-slayer—you're turning into one. That explains why you felt the urge to bite me, felt the need to protect me, and why your teeth are changing. Other things about you will change, too," replied Natsu.

"I'm changing into a dragon-slayer? When were you going to tell me this?! What else is going to happen to me?!" responded Gray in alarm.

"I wasn't really sure if it would happen, but I suspected after we mated because you started smelling like a dragon," said the fire mage. "I didn't want to say anything just in case I was wrong. But after you bit me last night, I was sure. I was gonna tell you this morning, but I couldn't wake you up so I decided to let you sleep. I just didn't realize you'd be changing this fast."

"As for what else will happen to you," continued Rogue, "your senses will sharpen. Sight, sound, and smell will become extremely stronger. But if you're changing so fast already, I'm concerned with how your senses will affect you."

"But _why_ am I changing?" asked Gray.

"I think it's because you're a dominant. You need to change in order to protect us," said Natsu as he placed a hand over his stomach.

Gray stared at where his mate put his hand. "And I can't protect you as…regular old me?"

"Not as well as you can as a dragon-slayer," said Rogue. "But this will make you even more powerful. And from what Natsu's described so far, it sounds as though you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Which is why you need to start training with Sting," added Natsu. "He can help you with the transition since he's also a dominant, but he's now a mated dominant. There's no need for you to worry him anymore, not like you needed to anyway."

"A mated dominant. You mean you guys—"

"Yes," Rogue cut in, averting his eyes.

"Uh, congratulations?" said Gray, still trying to let this information sink in. "So, let me get this straight. I'm changing into a dragon-slayer, which means I'll come into the abilities you guys have?"

Natsu nodded.

"And you want me to train with Sting because I'm kinda like him?"

"A dominant? Yes," said Rogue.

"Okay," said Gray, exhaling deeply.

"Okay? That's all you've got to say?" inquired Natsu.

Gray approached his mate and placed his hands on his shoulders. "We've gotta take everything one step at a time. I can accept this, especially if it means I can better protect you and our baby, okay? I love you," he said, kissing Natsu on the forehead. "And you." Gray then kissed Natsu on the stomach.

"Stop being so embarrassing!"

"Um, did I come at a bad time?"

The three men turned at the sound of the new voice. It was Wendy. Happy stood next to her.

"Oh, no. Your timing is perfect, Wendy," said Natsu.

"Happy said you wanted a check up?"

"Not…exactly," replied the fire mage. "Rogue actually wanted to see you."

"Rogue?" Wendy turned her attention to the other dragon-slayer.

An embarrassed look crossed Rogue's face. "Sting and I mated last night, and I…wanted you to check."

"Oh. Oh!" exclaimed Wendy when she realized what he was asking. "Okay! Um, take a seat and I'll check!"

"What's going on?" Gray whispered to Natsu.

"Just wait," he replied.

Wendy placed her hands over Rogue's stomach, light emanating from them. She furrowed her brows in concentration. After a few minutes of intense silence, her face lit up.

"It's there! I sense it!" she exclaimed.

"Sense what?" Gray asked. Then it dawned on him. "Wait. Are you pregnant, too?!"

"He is!" said Wendy.

"I am?" said Rogue quietly. Suddenly, his face lit up. "I am! Sting will be so pleased!"

"What's wrong Wendy?" Natsu asked when the young dragon-slayer began frowning.

"Um, I'm pleased that you two hold me in such high regard, but I still have very little experience with all of this. Honestly, it would make me feel better if the two of you saw Porlyusica," she replied.

Wendy did have a point. "Okay. If that'll make you feel better," said Natsu.

"Who's Porlyusica?" asked Rogue.

"Our guild's healer," said Gray. "I'll go with you."

"No," said Natsu. "I want you to go with Happy to find Sting. Let him know Rogue's okay and that he's with me. You and Sting need to talk about dominant stuff."

Gray huffed his disapproval, but relented. "Fine. But be safe."

"We will." Natsu gave his mate a kiss before he grabbed Rogue and Wendy and headed for Porlyusica's place.

* * *

"What are you three doing in my house?" demanded Porlyusica. "As far as I can tell, no one's injured."

Wendy approached the old woman. "I was wondering if you could give them a check-up."

"You're more than capable of doing that," she snapped.

"Maybe, but circumstances are different now. I don't have enough experience for this."

That got the old woman's attention. "Oh? And just what are we dealing with here?"

"Natsu and Rogue are pregnant."

Of all things Porlyusica was expecting Wendy to say, that was not it. She eyed the male dragon-slayers oddly before ushering them to take a seat. "I'll start with the creepy one."

"Did she just call me creepy?" Rogue wondered aloud.

"Don't take it personally," the old woman spat. "Now be quiet while I work."

Wendy and Natsu watched curiously as Porlyusica began her examination of Rogue. The old woman had a hard time hiding her surprise, which only confirmed what they all knew.

"You are with child. It's in the very early stages, but it's there," she said. "You'll need to take it easy. No missions. A desk job will suffice if you really need the money. But I know very little of male pregnancies, so you must be cautious. Now, it's time for the flaming one."

Natsu jumped when Porlyusica turned her attention to him. He watched her intently as she began her examination of him.

"You're further along," she mumbled. "A month?"

"Yeah."

"Starting your second," she continued. Her eyes suddenly widened in surprise before frowning in worry. If she was going to help these two through their pregnancies, she had her work cut out for her. Research was in order.

"What's wrong?" Natsu couldn't keep the waver out of his voice when he noticed the concerned look on Porlyusica's face.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied, and she actually smiled warmly at him. "But you need to be especially cautious. I know your nature. Absolutely no missions. No job at all for that matter."

"I can't get a desk job like Rogue?" Porlyusica shook her head, making him swallow hard. "Is something wrong with the baby?" he asked quietly.

"No. It's not that. We don't need you having any unnecessary stress."

"No offense, but I think you're stressing him out right now," said Rogue.

"I do take offense to that," replied Porlyusica. "But the fact of the matter is that Natsu needs as little stress on his body as possible."

"Why?" asked Wendy. What was so different about him than Rogue?

Porlyusica turned her attention back to Natsu. "Congratulations. You're having twins."

* * *

"I'm glad Rogue's with Natsu," said Sting. "He had me worried sick. I was about ready to start bashing in doors."

"I'm just glad I found you in the guild," replied Gray.

"I honestly thought he'd be here, but I guess not. Anyway, since I made it here, I sent for Lector and Frosch. They should be here in a few days. That should please Rogue."

"Yeah. That's keep him occupied while I...hang out with you."

"Come on! It won't be that bad!"

Gray honestly had a hard time believing that. Before he could voice his concerns, however, he was interrupted by the guild doors opening, revealing Porlyusica and three stunned dragon-slayers.

"Rogue!" Sting shouted racing over to his new mate. "You had me worried sick! Why'd you run off like that?"

"I-I wanted to know if I was _that_ …and I am," he replied shyly.

"You're what?" Sting asked in confusion.

Rogue felt his eyebrow twitch. "Are you really that dense?"

"Huh?" Then it dawned on him. "You are. You are?! We're having a baby?! Seriously?!"

"Not so loud!" Rogue hissed, but it was too late. The Fairy Tail guild heard every word, which only served to usher them into silence. Two dragon-slayers were now pregnant?

"I take it Sting loves the news," Gray chuckled as he made his way over to Natsu. "So did everything check out fine with Porlyusica?"

"S-Sort of."

"What does sort of mean?"

"Makarov!" shouted Porlyusica. "I need a word with you about your dragon-slayer!"

The Guild Master spat out his drink, not expecting the sudden call out—or company. Coughing to clear his throat, he replied, "Who? Natsu?"

"Yes."

Natsu headed over to the two elders with bated breath.

"What's going on, Natsu? Is the baby okay?" Gray asked, growing worried when the fire mage wouldn't answer his question.

"I can't work," he finally said.

The ice mage let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I know you can't go on missions. We talked about this. You said you'd talk to Master about taking a job in the guild."

"No, I can't work _at all_. No strenuous activity," said Natsu. "I can't do anything that might jeopardize my pregnancy."

"HE'S WHAT?!" Makarov shouted.

Porlyusica glared at the old man. "So you mustn't allow Natsu to work. He is at a higher risk than that Rogue individual. I have given Rogue my consent to work a desk job, but Natsu must not do anything that may cause him unwarranted strain. He could put himself or the babies at risk."

"Babies?" Gray echoed, turning his attention back to his mate.

"Porlyusica says I'm having twins," informed Natsu. "We're having _two_ babies."

Gray went from shocked to smug in a matter of seconds. He was freaking amazing! He not only got Natsu pregnant with one baby, but two!

"This is going to be tough, Gray. I have to see Porlyusica once a week, take regular walks, not use magic, and we wanted to add onto the house. I don't know how we're going to afford that now that we have two babies coming, and I can't work. And we need to buy baby things. How are we going to do this?"

"Hey," interceded Gray, pulling Natsu into his arms. "Everything's going to be fine. You need to trust me, okay? We'll figure this out."

"And you've got us," said Erza. "We'll help out."

"That's what a guild is for," added Lucy. "We're family, and we help each other."

Natsu sniffed, smiling a bit as a laugh bubbled up from inside him. "Thanks, you guys."

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" shouted Gajeel, waving his arm dangerously between Gray and Sting. "I WILL NOT BE OUTDONE BY THE LIKES OF YOU TWO!"

Everyone watched interestedly as Gajeel turned and pointed at someone sitting at the bar. "Levy! I demand that we become mates. I will not lose to the ice bastard and pretty boy prick! I'll put _three_ babies in you!"

Gajeel's answer was not warm and fuzzy like he expected; it was a hardback book to the face.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	9. Cravings Part I

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** Please vote in my POLL on my profile page!

 **Author's Note #2:** I know that Sting and Rogue weaseled their way into this fic, but there is a purpose!

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Cravings Part I (Rated T)**

Natsu was bored out of his mind. For the last month, Gray would hardly let him do anything.

The fire mage would get up in the morning, and Gray would insist on making breakfast. Then after they'd eaten, the ice mage would delicately walk him to the guild.

But that wasn't all!

At the guild, everyone would speak to him in that annoyingly soft voice that drove him mad. They spoke to him as if he were something fragile. It was driving him insane!

Then Gray would give him a light kiss and go on a mission for the day. Lucy would then take him for a walk around Magnolia, and they always ended up in the book store. Seriously, how many times could they go there?! He'd had enough!

That's what led to Natsu glaring at Gray that morning.

"Is something wrong?" the ice mage questioned awkwardly. Natsu had been glaring at him for the better part of an hour.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong?"

Gray swallowed hard. _What did I do now?_ he thought frantically. "You can tell me if something's bothering you, Natsu."

The dragon-slayer tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm bored," he said.

"Bored," Gray repeated. Not what he was expecting, but okay. "With?"

"Everything!" Natsu exclaimed as he dropped his head to the table. "It's the same thing every single day. If I have to do this for seven more months, I don't know what I'll do. I can't work. No one lets me do _anything_ , and I'm going a little nuts about it!"

"Okay," Gray responded slowly. "So would you like to do something today? I don't have to go on a mission."

Natsu raised his head and sighed. "I don't want to pull you away from working. We still need to save up for the babies."

"I can take a break once in a while, especially if you need me. We'll stay home today and do something together. What do you think?"

Natsu smiled. "I think I like that."

* * *

Natsu stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed. Gray had suggested that he relax a bit, and then they would start planning for the extension to the house. The fire mage grinned at the thought.

Placing his hands on his stomach, he looked down. "We're going to make this the best house ever, babies. Just you wait. Now to find Daddy."

Natsu got dressed and headed out into the living room, only to find Gray staring intently out the window.

"What are you doing?" the dragon-slayer asked.

"I'm…watching a spider," replied the ice mage.

Natsu raised an eyebrow and looked out the window. "Where?"

"On that tree over there," Gray said, pointing to a tree in the distance.

The fire mage's eyes widened in surprise. "Gray, I think some of your dragon-slayer senses are kicking in."

"I know."

"And it can be kind of overwhelming."

"I know."

Natsu frowned as Gray looked around himself in awe. "I guess it's a good thing you didn't go on a mission today. You're kinda spacey."

"Have you ever noticed how many leaves there are in the trees?"

"Okay. I think you need a nap."

That got Gray's attention. "A nap?"

"Yeah. Your dragon-slayer sight suddenly kicked in. If you sleep it off, when you wake up, it'll seem normal," Natsu explained.

When Gray made no attempt to move, Natsu forced the ice mage to lie down on the couch.

"Trust me," said Natsu. "It'll be better when you wake up."

Gray sighed. "Fine. But if you need anything, wake me up, okay? I don't want you stressing yourself out. We have the babies to think about." The ice mage smiled as he placed his hand on Natsu's stomach. "I can't wait for you to get fat."

Natsu smacked him in the head. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"That came out wrong!" Gray cut in, waving his hands defensively. "I meant that I can't wait until you start showing. It'll mean we're that much closer to meeting them."

"I guess I understand what you mean," Natsu said with a pout before he began groaning. "I totally forgot I was going to get fat!"

"Natsu, don't worry about that," Gray chuckled. "While I'm taking a nap, how about you eat something? I can hear your stomach growling from here."

"Sure," said Natsu. "Now go to sleep."

* * *

Natsu didn't quite do as Gray had asked. Yeah, he was a bit hungry, but nothing in their kitchen appealed to him. So he decided to go for a brief walk outside until he could figure out what he wanted.

As he wandered around the house, a scent hit him that had his mouth drooling. If anything, he got even hungrier.

"What the hell kind of craving is this?!" Natsu whined. And how was he going to keep it a secret from Gray?!

* * *

Gray roused from sleep when a variety of smells assaulted his nose. Opening his eyes, he concluded that Natsu was right about his vision. But now his sense of smell was going out of control!

He could smell the mustiness of the couch, his own snowy scent, the aged wood of the house, the unwashed dishes in the sink, and…Natsu.

Focusing on that one smell—the scent of Natsu—made the other outstanding aromas fade into the background. Did Natsu really smell like this? It was like a fireplace, warm and fragrant with an earthy undertone.

Inhaling contentedly, he followed his nose to his mate, which led him to…the bathroom? He could definitely smell Natsu and…something else. And why was the door closed? Hadn't Natsu already taken a shower?

He knocked on the door twice. "Natsu? Everything okay in there?"

"Gray! You're awake!"

"And you sound surprised," he said as he opened the bathroom door.

"No! Don't come in…here," Natsu trailed off, but it was too late.

Gray stared at his mate, confusion and disgust evident on his face. _So that's what that smell was. But why is he eating it?_ "Why are you eating that?"

Natsu stared down at himself. He was sitting in the bathtub—and had failed to draw the shower curtain—with a bowl of his evident craving in his lap. "I…I…I don't know," he replied turning his eyes up to Gray worriedly.

"It smells…potent," said Gray.

"Your sense of smell kicked in, too?" Natsu asked quietly.

Gray nodded.

Natsu put another handful of his new craving into his mouth.

"Ew! Don't eat it in front of me!"

"I can't help it! My body is telling me to!"

"Let's go to the guild and…get you some real food."

* * *

Heading to the guild was a quiet affair. Gray just kept trudging along staring blankly ahead of him while Natsu followed behind anxiously. It wasn't the fire mage's fault that his body was telling him to do strange things. However, the disgusted look on Gray's face made him want to stop.

But was it the fact that Gray's dragon-slayer senses were kicking in too strongly that made the ice mage react that way.

"We're here," said Gray, pulling Natsu out of his thoughts.

They entered the guild and were greeted as usual. Natsu and Gray sat at the bar. The ice mage stared ahead…again, and Natsu glanced at him hesitantly as he fiddled with his scarf.

"Hi, Natsu," greeted Mira sweetly with a smile on her face. "Can I get you anything?"

Natsu looked at Gray again before turning his attention to Mira. He shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Natsu, you're eating for three now. I know you must be hungry. Don't you have any cravings?" she continued.

The fire mage took a deep breath. "Yes," he replied.

"Well, what is it? I'll make it for you," said Mira.

Natsu stared intently at the bar counter. "Um, Gray doesn't…like my current craving."

Mira's personality changed almost immediately. "Oh? Why is that?" she snapped shooting the ice mage a glare.

"He…thinks it's disgusting," Natsu replied quietly.

Well, at least he thought it was quietly. The guild had ushered itself into silence.

"He said what?" ground out Erza from behind him. Seriously, what was she? A ninja?

"Are you saying Gray won't let you eat?" inquired Mira.

"What? No!" insisted Natsu. "I was embarrassed about my craving, so I was hiding it from Gray. He found out and…he didn't like it."

"Gray! What is the meaning of this?" demanded Erza, grabbing the ice mage by his shirt.

"I could smell it," Gray stated as if he were reliving a past trauma. "It smells so…ugh. I can't take the smell."

"Erza, we'll take it from here," interrupted Gajeel. "Gray's turnin' into a dragon-slayer. Some of his senses must have kicked in."

Sting tried to relinquish her grip from the ice mage. "Yeah, he probably doesn't realize he's hurting his mate. We need to snap him out of it."

"Snap him out of it?" repeated Erza. "Why didn't you just say so?" She hit Gray in the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" demanded Gray loudly.

"You're hurting Natsu!" she shouted back. "Look at him!"

"What?" Gray turned to look at Natsu, and his heart almost broke at the sight. He looked nervous and skittish…and hungry. Oh. Oh! "Natsu, I'm so sorry!"

"It's…okay," the fire mage replied as Rogue and Wendy nuzzled him on either side.

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, Natsu. I didn't mean to say that to you. My senses are in overdrive and everything looks and smells so new and I can't handle it all at once. But I shouldn't have said that to you," said Gray. "I want to make it up to you."

Natsu paused. "Can I eat what my body is telling me to?"

Gray nodded his head vigorously. "Whatever you want. Even…that."

Mira smiled again. "That's great. Now, what will you be having, Natsu?"

Natsu blushed. "Um…I want…"

"Whatever it is, Salamander, we'll get it for ya," insisted Gajeel.

"What he said," added Sting with a grin.

Natsu averted his eyes. "I want…dirt."

Whatever the others expected, it wasn't that.

"Dirt?" echoed Mira.

The fire mage nodded.

"I was unaware these kinds of cravings existed during pregnancy," started Erza.

"Gihi," cut in Gajeel as he patted Natsu on the back. "Seems we got ourselves a little earth dragon-slayer in there. Maybe two. We'll have to wait and see."

"Wait," said Gray. "This is…normal?"

"For dragons it is," answered Rogue. "Natsu must have reached the point where he needs to eat his child's element. Whether it's for one or both, it'll be hard to tell."

"So he needs to eat dirt for the babies?" Gray asked.

Wendy nodded. "It'll help fuel the magical power the babies need so that they're not draining Natsu's magic."

"Oh," responded the ice mage. "Now I really feel shitty."

"It's okay, Gray," said Natsu. "Can you…get me some dirt then? You have no idea how badly I want to eat it right now."

"Sure thing. I'll be right back."

"Sting, why are you staring at me?" asked Rogue.

"I wonder what the baby's going to make you eat," replied the white dragon-slayer.

Rogue frowned. "I know what you're thinking, so stop it right now."

"What am I thinking?"

"You're going to start putting strange objects in front of me to see if I'll eat them."

Sting looked at him in shock. "You really _can_ read minds! I knew it!"

"For the last time, I can't read minds. Yours is just simple."

* * *

Rogue thought it slightly suspicious that evening when Sting offered to make dinner. He _never_ offered to make dinner. On the other hand, the white dragon-slayer had been more considerate and helpful since Rogue had become pregnant.

He smiled softly when he smelled something pleasant coming from the kitchen. It seemed Sting was making his favorite.

"Dinner's ready," the white dragon-slayer announced, placing a plate of curry in front of Rogue.

"It smells wonderful, Sting."

"Thanks Rogue. Eat up."

"…Sting?"

"Yes, Rogue?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"Notice what?" Sting asked innocently.

"You put _rocks_ in my curry. I _knew_ you would do this."

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd notice."

"How could I not notice? They're as big as Frosch's paws," said Rogue, glaring at the curry. What a waste of food. "You ruined the curry."

"I didn't ruin it! Look, if it'll make you happy, I'll take the rocks out. You don't have to eat them."

"I wasn't going to anyway," said Rogue as he leaned back, watching as Sting carefully took out the rocks. "I really do hope our child gets your looks."

Sting's head shot up. "Really?" he replied with a grin.

Rogue nodded. "Yes. I really want our child to have my brain."

"The best of both of us, huh?"

Rogue just continued nodding. _You have no idea how true that is_ , he thought. "Sting, for the last time, I'm not eating the rocks."

"But how will you know if you like it or not if you don't try it," replied Sting. "It's got some curry sauce on it."

"As if that will tempt me. Just give me my curry," said Rogue. " _Without_ the rocks."

* * *

"Thanks for being so understanding today," said Natsu as he and Gray reached home that evening. "I know today's been hard for you."

"We're going to hit bumps in the road every now and then," said Gray, "but we just have to work through them. I just got a bit overwhelmed with everything all at once."

"You just need to continue practicing your focus. I think you're handling your sight okay now. With your sense of smell, you need to concentrate on one. Otherwise everything will drive you insane. Like my dirt craving."

"I'm still really sorry about that. I never knew dirt could smell like that. And then seeing you eat it…that was a lot to take in at once."

Natsu laughed. "Seeing that look on your face was kind of worth it, though."

"I bet it was," said Gray as they entered their house. "We didn't get to do what we said we would today."

"There's still plenty of time to plan for the babies," said Natsu. "We still have a ways to go. We just need to figure out what our biggest priority is."

"I should probably get an estimate on what it would cost to make an extension on the house," said Gray.

"Don't worry about all that _now_." Natsu put his arms around the ice mage's shoulders and kissed him. "Let's go to bed."

"You're not hungry?"

"Surprisingly, no. I just want to sleep, and I want you with me."

"Sure," said Gray as he led Natsu into the bedroom. They changed and nestled down into the blankets. The fire mage place his head on Gray's chest. "Goodnight, Natsu."

"Goodnight, Gray. I love you," Natsu sighed, drifting off to sleep.

"I love you, too," replied Gray. He began dozing off when a buzzing sound caught his attention. "What the hell is that?"

"What's what?" Natsu mumbled.

"That buzzing noise."

Natsu groaned. "It's just a fly."

"Why is it so loud?"

"Gray? I think your dragon-slayer hearing is kicking in now."

"Oh."

Natsu let himself doze off again, but was startled awake when Gray got out of the bed. "Where are you going? I thought we were going to sleep!"

"We will," said Gray, a determined look on his face. "After I destroy that fly. Ice make fly swatter!"

Natsu flopped back against the bed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	10. Cravings Part II

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** Please vote in my POLL on my profile page! I'm going to close the poll after I post Chapter 11, so make sure you vote!

 **Author's Note #2:** It's been so long since I've updated!

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Cravings Part II (Rated T)**

"And here's your daily bowl of dirt," said Gray, setting it down in front of Natsu. The past week had mostly been the fire mage eating nothing but dirt. Gray wondered if Natsu was getting any nutrition from it at all.

Natsu stared at his usual food substance—thanks to his craving—and frowned. He didn't want it.

"What's wrong?" inquired Gray. Normally, his mate would have been devouring it by now.

"I don't want it," Natsu answered simply.

"Okay," the ice mage replied slowly. "What do you want then?"

"I'm not sure. Can we go for a walk? I want to go for a walk," he replied hurriedly.

"We can do that. Don't you want to eat something first, though?"

Natsu shook his head, rising from his seat and heading for the front door. "Let's walk."

* * *

The walk to the guild had been one of silence. Gray wasn't sure why Natsu was frowning so much. It was almost as if he was deep in thought. About what, he had absolutely no idea.

Suddenly, Natsu stopped walking. The two mages stood outside the guild doors.

"Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm getting another craving."

Gray paused. "Not dirt?"

"Not dirt."

"What is it?" What could Natsu possibly have a craving for?

"I wasn't sure at first, but now I think I know." He gave the ice mage an almost apologetic look.

"Are you gonna tell me what it is?"

Natsu curtly nodded. "Snow."

"Snow," Gray repeated slowly, trying to ensure he heard his mate correctly. "You have a craving for snow. Not ice, but snow."

"Yes," the fire mage replied quietly.

Gray ran a hand through his hair, feeling himself getting frustrated. It wasn't Natsu's fault, but damn, this pregnancy was a bitch. "Where are we supposed to get snow this time of year? I mean, Mt. Hakobe always has it, but with the missions I need to take and you on leave…I don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry, Gray."

"It's not your fault," the ice mage consoled, pulling Natsu into a hug. "We're gonna figure it out. I wonder if we can get our hands on a snow lacrima."

"But those are so expensive. And at the rate I'm eating, I'll need a _lot_ of snow. I think the other baby is currently sated. Right now, the other baby needs its element."

"So we've got an Earth Dragon-Slayer and a Snow Dragon-Slayer. What a combination we've created, huh?" Gray said with a smile. "But seriously, we need to figure out what to do."

"And I really don't want to have to stay on Mt. Hakobe for who knows how long."

"Juvia can help."

Natsu and Gray turned to see the water mage peering at them from behind a corner of the guild.

"Help? How?" asked Natsu.

Juvia walked up to them, her hands clasped behind her back. "Juvia and Gray-sama can work together to get Natsu-san what he needs. Juvia can make it rain while Gray-sama makes the air cold with his magic. It should produce snowfall for Natsu-san."

"That…might actually work," stated Gray.

"Then Natsu-san can eat all the snow he wants and not have to worry," replied Juvia, beaming. "Juvia said she would protect Natsu-san and Gray-sama's baby. Babies now, Juvia supposes. So Juvia will do just that."

Natsu threw his arms around the water mage and hugged her for all she was worth. "Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!"

Juvia returned the hug warmly. "Juvia is happy to help."

* * *

Apparently, Fairy Tail decided that making snow would be a whole guild affair. Nearly everyone was outside behind the guild awaiting the so-called snowfall.

Natsu sat on a bench, Rogue at his side while he stared intently at Gray and Juvia. He desperately hoped this would work. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last without satisfying his new craving.

"Juvia shall start," began the water mage. She closed her eyes in concentration. Soon, dark clouds began forming above them; however, rain did not fall. "Juvia is keeping the water at bay until Gray-sama chills the air."

Gray stepped toward Juvia, looking up at the blackened sky. He focused on his ice magic, summoning up enough energy to shoot a blast of ice into the sky.

Nothing happened.

"What the hell?" Gray muttered. "Juvia, are you still holding back the rain?"

The water mage shook her head. "Juvia stopped as soon as Gray-sama released his magic into the sky."

"Then why isn't there any snowfall?"

"Your magic isn't strong enough," interrupted Sting as he approached Gray.

"Excuse me?!" responded the ice mage angrily.

"I'm talking about your ice make magic," continued the white dragon-slayer. "Since you've become a dragon-slayer, your magic has weakened. That's why you can't get it to work."

"So what do you suggest I do?" Gray snapped.

Natsu growled as he rested his head on Rogue's shoulder. "Just teach his already, Sting."

"Teach me what?"

Sting gave Gray a flashy grin. "I'm gonna teach you your Dragon Roar. That should do the trick."

Excitement rippled throughout the rest of the guild.

"Say what now?"

Sting grabbed the ice mage and forced his legs somewhat apart to improve his balance. Placing a hand on Gray's abdomen, he said, "Your power is coming from in here. Feel the magic welling up inside you, take a deep breath, and release it. Use your Ice Dragon Roar. But aim for the clouds. We don't need you freezing the landscape."

Gray slowed his breathing and concentrated on the feeling in his stomach. Was this what Natsu always referred to as a fire in his belly?

When he felt he was ready, he took a deep breath, and released his dragon-slaying magic with all his might up at the sky. "Ice Dragon Roar!"

A puff of frost left his mouth, and Gray's face reddened in embarrassment.

"Well, that was disappointing," said Sting, hands on his hips.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "I believe it's more you than it is Gray, Sting. You're not a strong teacher."

"You think you can do better?" retaliated the white dragon-slayer.

"I can, but I'm not in the mood," replied Rogue, smoothing back Natsu's hair in a comforting motion. He could sense the fire mage's agitation and anxiety growing.

Reluctantly, Natsu got up and headed toward his mate. "Sting, get me a bucket of ice."

The white dragon-slayer sighed and did as Natsu asked, knowing his days as Gray's teacher were now over.

"Gray," the fire mage continued, "widen your stance. You're still too unbalanced. If you successfully do your roar, the force of the blast will knock you over. Do you remember Sting's stance during the Grand Magic Games when he battled with Rogue against me and Gajeel? The one he used for his roar?"

Gray nodded.

"That's the stance I want you to have. Dragon-Slayers use the same magic as dragons, but our bodies aren't built that way. We have to alter our stance to balance it with the force of the blast. We don't have tails that give us that extra balance.

"Spread your legs apart and use your arms to balance yourself. Bend your knees some. You might feel like you look a little animalistic, but you are. You're part dragon now."

Gray took a deep breath and positioned his body in the way Natsu described. "Like this?"

"That's better," commented Natsu. "Remember that stance."

"Here's your ice," announced Sting, shoving the bucket at Natsu.

"Thanks," replied the fire mage. "Eat."

Gray took the buck in surprise. Natsu wanted him to eat the ice?

"Don't just stand there gaping at it! Eat the damn ice!" shouted the fire mage. "You are an Ice Dragon-Slayer now, so you'll need to replenish your magic by eating ice."

The ice mage grabbed the ice and started eating it. The sensation he received after doing so astounded him. He could literally feel his energy returning and his magic replenishing.

When he finished eating the ice, Gray got back into his stance.

"Good," said Natsu. "Now focus on the magical energy in your stomach. Let it build. When you feel ready, take a deep breath. This helps fuel your magic power. After you've done that, let it out with all the force your have. Aim for the sky."

Gray needed to do this. He needed to succeed in order to provide for his mate and unborn children. But he still felt himself holding back for some reason.

However, when he felt ready, he did as Natsu instructed. "Ice Dragon Roar!"

Finally, an icy blast erupted from Gray. It hit the clouds Juvia had summoned. They grew even darker and the air got colder. But still, no snow fell from the sky.

Natsu frowned in disappointment.

"You're holdin' back," cut in Gajeel, smacking Gray in the back of the head.

"I am not!" countered the ice mage.

"You're fighting your instincts again," said Natsu solemnly. "I don't know why you keep doing that, but you need to let your instincts take control."

"If ya keep fightin' it, you're just gonna hurt your mate again," added Gajeel. When Gray looked surprised, he said, "Yeah, I know about the bite."

Natsu placed a hand over his stomach and whined. He _really_ needed to eat snow. The other baby wanted it desperately. "I need to eat. I _really_ need to eat."

Makarov decided it was time to step in. "Jet, since you're the fastest here, I want you to get to Mt. Hakobe to return with snow as fast as you can. We need something to hold Natsu over until we figure this out. In the meantime, maybe we should send for Eve from Blue Pegasus. He has snow magic."

"No!" interrupted Gray, looking absolutely furious. "I will not have someone else provide for _my_ mate! Just give me some time! I'll make it snow!"

"Gray," Natsu stated softly, "I can only wait until the end of the day. After that, we need to consider another way."

"I promise you, Natsu. I'll make it work."

The fire mage nodded and turned around. "I'm going for a walk."

"What? Now? By yourself?" asked Gray, concern welling in his voice.

"Yes. I need time by myself. Please."

Unwillingly, Gray consented. So he returned to his work of providing his mate with snow.

* * *

"It's great to be home," said Freed with a smile as he gazed up at Laxus. The lighting mage grumbled in agreement.

Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe had finally returned after a three month long mission, which had been a success. And they were grateful that all had gone without a hitch.

"I need to go to a spa after all this," said Evergreen as she tossed her hair to the side.

Laxus tried to ignore her rambling, so he set his sights up ahead. And something peculiar caught his attention.

Natsu was sitting at the edge of Magnolia Park, a stern yet exhausted frown etched on his features. He didn't seem to be his annoyingly fired up self at the moment. Well, Laxus would change all that.

"This'll be fun," said Laxus, unaware his teammates heard him. "Time to pick a fight with the fire brat." It would be priceless turning the tables on him.

His hand began flickering with lightning. But before he could even begin his strike, Bickslow stood in front of him, blocking the lightning mage.

"What the hell are you doing?" Laxus demanded.

His confusion increased when Bickslow lifted his mask and stared at Natsu disbelievingly. "Babies."

" _Babies! Babies!_ " his dolls echoed.

"What are you talking about, Bickslow?" inquired Freed.

Laxus, Evergreen, and Freed watched in silence as Bickslow stepped in front of Natsu and pointed at him. "Babies," he repeated.

The fire mage—finally realizing he had company—turned his attention to them. "You guys are finally back. How was your mission?"

"Forget that," snapped Laxus. "Bickslow, why the hell didn't you let me fry the fire brat?"

Bickslow looked back at the lightning mage. "He's got babies."

"You're still not making any sense," said Evergreen. It was like talking to Elfman.

Natsu laughed. "I forgot you could see human souls," he said, placing a hand over his stomach gently.

"Oh. Oh!" exclaimed Freed as he realized what Bickslow was saying.

Evergreen also caught on. "That's why you've got that fabulous glow! And here I was being all jealous!"

Laxus, however, was still lost. "What the hell are you all going on about?"

Natsu continued laughing and turned his beaming smile toward the lightning mage. "Laxus, I'm pregnant. I'm having twins. So I won't be picking fights with you for awhile."

Pregnant? Twins? Natsu?! "…What?"

The fire mage chuckled. "You four have missed a lot. The short version of the story it that I've been seeing Gray for a while, we became mates, and I got pregnant. Gray's become a dragon-slayer. Sting and Rogue are here, and they're also mates. Rogue's pregnant, too, but he's not as far along as I am."

"How far along are you?" asked Evergreen as she sat beside him.

"I'm about three months now. Rogue's about two. Sting and Rogue are staying here to help see me through my pregnancy."

"If that's the case, what are you doing here all by yourself?" asked Freed as he began scolding him. "You shouldn't be wandering about on your own like this. What if something happened?"

Natsu shrugged, his face taking on the frown Laxus had noticed earlier again. "I needed some air."

"Something wrong?" asked Bickslow.

The fire mage sighed. "Dragon-Slayers have strange cravings during pregnancies. They crave the element their child will use as their magic. I just went through a phase of eating dirt. And now I'm on my next craving, snow. Juvia and Gray are trying to combine their magic to make it snow, but so far we haven't had any luck."

Laxus looked up at the dark sky. So that was why it had gotten so cold. It did look like it was going to snow, though. "It's stalled."

"Huh?" responded Natsu.

"The snow's stalled," continued Laxus. "It's up there and it's heavy, but it hasn't fallen yet. It needs to be…shocked into falling."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Laxus smirked. "I think the weather today will be heavy snow with a chance of lightning."

* * *

Gray was getting pissed. He'd used so many Ice Dragon Roars on the sky that he'd lost count. Why wouldn't the snow fall?!

"I really don't get it," said Sting. "This should work. It totally feels like it's gonna snow, but it's not."

"Juvia is sorry," the water mage wailed.

"It's not your fault, Juvia," said Gray, his voice sounding defeated. What was he supposed to do now?

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning rippled through the air.

"Look who I found!" shouted Natsu. Soon, he walked up to Gray and hugged him. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe trailed behind.

"I think you could use a bit of help," said Laxus as he looked up at the clouds. "Your snow's up there, but it's stuck. I might be able to get that snow to fall, though."

Gray watched as Laxus sent a large lightning bolt up into the sky. It lit up in a flash, and then thunder rumbled in the distance.

Natsu began laughing in excitement when he saw the first snowflake descend from the sky. It was soon followed by another, and then another.

In a matter of minutes, the ground became covered in light snow.

Natsu immediately dug in. He plopped himself on the ground and began devouring the white particles in handfuls. "Finally," he moaned, a grin plastered on his face. "The baby's really happy now. Thanks, everyone."

Laxus turned his attention to Gray. "How long do you have to keep up this snowfall for?"

"Until Natsu is satisfied," he replied. "I get worried, though. Natsu spent about a week eating nothing but dirt. Now he's eating snow. I'm worried for his health and the babies'."

"You need to trust Natsu's instincts as well as your own," cut in Rogue as he stood next to Gray, Sting just behind him. "Instincts are essential for our survival. You need to trust them."

"I _know_ that," Gray replied quietly. "But it's hard for me. I feel like I'll lose control over myself if I…let go and follow them."

"You won't," said Sting, patting Gray on the shoulder. "Natsu and the babies are your highest priority. Your instincts make them so. Those instincts will prevent you from harming your mate and offspring. It's your duty as a dominant to provide and protect. If you follow your instincts, you'll have nothing to worry about because you're doing everything in your mate's best interests."

Laxus ignored the rest of the conversation and turned his attention back to Natsu. He still couldn't believe it. The fire brat was mated to his rival, and he was pregnant with twins. It was like he'd stepped into an alternate world.

But something kept nagging at him that he couldn't quite place his finger on. His feelings for Natsu had somehow changed after finding all this out. However, he wasn't sure _how_.

Nevertheless, he was going to find out.

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	11. Secret Meetings

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** The POLL is closed!

 **Author's Note #2:** It's been so long since I've updated! School finally caught up with me. OTL

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Secret Meetings (Rated T)**

Laxus wandered aimlessly around Magnolia, lost in thought as he considered the news upon his return to Fairy Tail. Natsu—the fire brat—went and got himself knocked up by Gray—the ice brat—and Rogue was in the same boat, so to speak.

Not only that, but Laxus was having a hard time sorting out his feelings. Something had changed. What? He wasn't sure. He no longer viewed Natsu as a nuisance or a rival. Instead, he actually kind of…liked him.

Laxus ran a hand through his hair and sighed before someone caught his eye. "Well, speak of the devil," he mumbled when he spotted Natsu sitting on the same bench he'd found him on a few days prior.

The lightning mage gradually approached the brooding fire mage. "So we meet again," he announced. Laxus resisted the urge to smack himself in the head. _So_ w _e meet again? That's the best I could come up with?_

Natsu's head perked up, eyes widening when he realized just who was speaking with him. "I guess so."

Laxus sat down next to him. "Something wrong? You're out on your own again."

The fire mage crossed his arms and leaned back on the bench, irritation radiating off his form.

 _Okay_ , Laxus thought. _Maybe I should try a different tactic._ "I had Freed set up runes around your little snow spot behind the guild. It'll keep snowing and the snow won't melt."

The tension seemed to dissipate from Natsu's shoulders slightly. "Thanks. That'll really help out Gray. I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown when he thought he might have to make it snow every day," he replied with a slight laugh, but Laxus could hear the guilt in his voice.

"You don't have anything to feel guilty about."

Natsu's head snapped in his direction. "Who said I was feeling guilty?"

Laxus leaned toward the fire mage. "I can hear it in your voice. What do you feel so guilty for? So you got knocked up and have weird cravings. You're making the best of it. No need to blame yourself."

At Laxus's words, Natsu slumped. He seemed incredibly drained and weary. "It's just…"

"Just?"

"I feel like I've put Gray in an awkward position. I know he says that he's glad he's my mate and that we're having twins, but he gets so…aggressive sometimes."

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "He's not hurting you, is he?"

Natsu's expression became sad as he turned his attention to his hands, which were strewn in his lap. "Not physically. It's more emotionally. And it's hard to explain. Gray doesn't give into all of his instincts. He gives into the aggressive and possessive traits of a dragon, but not the affectionate or empathetic ones."

"Empathetic. That's a big word for you," commented Laxus, which only earned him a glare. "But when you actually think about who Gray is, he isn't really the type."

"Maybe the way he was before, but he's my mate now. And that means he needs to support me like I do with him. I show him affection all the time. Whenever he goes through a change because of our mating bite, I'm there to listen to how he's feeling. I let him express himself and help him any way I can. But I need that from him, too. He needs to fully open up to me. He won't let me in"

"Have you told Gray all this?" _And why the hell are you telling me this?_

"I try," Natsu said as he sniffed, tears coming to his eyes. "I know he cares, and I know the cravings drove him a little crazy. But whenever I tell him something, he snaps first, and that makes me afraid to tell him something else."

"When has he snapped at you?"

Natsu sighed. "I keep forgetting you weren't here. Gray reacted badly when I got my first craving, which was the dirt. His dragon senses kicked in at the same time, and he expressed his disgust. It hurt when he said that, so I was afraid to give into my craving again. And then with the second craving—the snow—he went off a little bit when he refused any help with getting me snow. It felt like his pride got in the way of providing for me."

Laxus frowned at that. "Want me to straighten him out for you?"

The fire mage quickly shook his head. "No. It's fine. He'll…learn."

"But he's stressing you out. You're afraid to talk to the ice brat."

"I'm not afraid of him!" Natsu protested heatedly.

"Maybe not. But you're afraid of how he'll react. You know I'm right," stated Laxus sternly. "So what are you afraid of telling him now? Are you having a third craving?"

"There's no third craving," spat Natsu. "But there is…something. Promise not to tell?"

Laxus surprised both himself and Natsu by placing a hand on the latter's head and ruffling his hair. "I promise," he said. Natsu's face suddenly lit up with a smile, which sent a warm feeling throughout Laxus's body.

"Okay. Well…Rogue's leaving Sabertooth. Sting doesn't know yet," Natsu whispered quickly.

Now _that_ was a surprise. "Why the heck would Rogue leave Sabertooth? His mate is their master."

"I know," said Natsu, he looked exhausted again. "Rogue and I feel the need to stay together. I don't know how to explain that either. We spoke with Gajeel not too long ago, and he and Levy were looking into it. Levy thinks she might have found a lost book on dragons and dragon-slayers. We're hoping it'll reveal a little more about why Rogue and I are feeling the way we are."

"What are you two feeling exactly?" Was it similar to how Laxus felt toward Natsu now?

"We're just really close and affectionate with each other. Not in a sexual way, so don't get any weird ideas about us. But as we started talking about the future, for some reason we couldn't imagine raising our children apart from one another. It felt wrong…unnatural."

"Do you think it's a dragon-slayer trait?" questioned Laxus.

"I'm guessing so. The more Rogue and I talk, the more we envision living together with our mates and raising our children together. It just feels right. That's why Gajeel and Levy are trying to find more information on it. It'll help ease the blow to Sting and Gray."

"If you're really going to go through with that, then you need something more than that shack you call a house."

"I know! That's why Gray's working so hard! I can't imagine what he'll do when he finds out about this!"

Laxus freaked when Natsu suddenly burst into tears. What was _he_ supposed to do about tears? Where were Freed and Mira when he needed them?!

Awkwardly, Laxus pulled Natsu into a hug and began rubbing his back in what he deemed a soothing manner.

"I can tell you don't do this sort of thing often," Natsu mumbled, his face buried in Laxus's chest. "It feels like you're rubbing my skin off."

"If you're going to complain, cry on someone else. I'm already trying to figure out my feelings for you. I don't need you criticizing me when I'm trying to be nice."

Natsu raised his head and looked up at Laxus, his brows knitted in confusion. "Your feelings for me?"

Laxus removed his arms from Natsu and resumed crossing them. "I don't find you annoying anymore. I actually kind of…care about you…I think."

"Care about me how?" Natsu asked hesitantly.

"I feel…protective, I suppose. I don't want anything to happen to you or your little brats in there. It's like an urge to look after you."

Natsu looked slightly amused. "That's it?"

"That's it? I tell you I care about you, and all you say is that's it?"

"Laxus, you're also a dragon-slayer which means you have the same instincts. What you're feeling is natural. You're no different than Gajeel. He acts the same way toward me and the other dragon-slayers."

"He does?" Natsu nodded. "Okay." Thank goodness. Laxus feared he was falling for the fire brat or some other such nonsense.

"You're such a weirdo."

"You're one to talk!" Laxus snapped. "What kind of a weirdo sits on a park bench all by himself while pregnant?"

"One who ran away from another weirdo named Lucy," Natsu grumbled. "We went shopping, and she dragged me to the bookstore…again. I snuck out while her nose was stuck in a book."

"Shopping?" It was then Laxus noticed the shopping bag at Natsu's feet. "Spending your mate's hard-earned money, I see." Laxus meant to tease the fire mage, but he took it seriously.

Natsu's expression became worried. "I really needed bigger clothes," he said quickly. "I'm starting to show. I only got two things, and they even came from a secondhand store."

"Hey, I was just messing with you," Laxus cut in. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. Are you that worried about what Gray will say?"

Natsu shrugged. "I just feel guilty about it. I'm buying things I need with money Gray earned. I'm not allowed to work, so I don't have any of my own to use."

"Gray will understand that. Just tell him what you told me," said Laxus, eyeing the bag again. "Tell you what. How about I take you shopping for some more clothes? It'll be on me."

"Laxus, I couldn't."

"Consider it a congratulation gift or whatever for your pregnancy. What do you say?"

"I guess that's okay. I'll share them with Rogue," he replied as he stood from the park bench. He reached for his bag, but Laxus beat him to it.

"Whatever works for you. I'll carry this. We don't need you overworking yourself."

"I'm not going to snap in half by carrying a bag with a few clothes in it."

"Let me worry over you. It makes me feel better."

"What do you mean?"

"You being pregnant makes me nervous, and I don't want you stressing yourself out. It makes me feel like you'll lose the little brats or you'll…you know."

"I'm _fine_ , Laxus."

"Yeah, well…I lost my mother during childbirth. The same happened with my father, as did with Gramps. I guess I just don't want to lose you, too. I mean the guild! I don't want the guild to lose you, too!"

"Laxus…"

"And now you're making me say mushy stuff. Let's shop for these stupid clothes."

"Sure thing, Laxus."

* * *

"Natsu?" Gray called out the minute he entered the house.

"I'm in the bathroom!"

The ice mage meandered his way through the living room and proceeded for the bedroom, where he threw open the bathroom door, startling Natsu half to death.

"Can't you knock?!" exclaimed the fire mage as he pulled down his shirt.

"Oh, please. It's not like you have anything I haven't seen before," replied Gray smugly.

"That's not the point!"

Gray stared at Natsu's shirt, and then his attention focused on the various bags on the bathroom floor. His gaze hardened. "I see you're spending all my money quickly enough."

Natsu resisted the urge to scream. He knew this was coming. "For your information, I only bought a couple things from a secondhand store. The rest were gifts, and I'll be sharing them with Rogue."

Gray inspected the bags, finding nothing but clothes. "And what's the reason for the sudden wardrobe change?"

"Are you serious right now?"

Gray was taken slightly aback by Natsu's disbelieving tone. "What?"

"You seriously don't know why I need some new clothes?"

The ice mage stared at him blankly. "No?"

"I'm getting _bigger_ , you idiot. I'm starting to show," Natsu stated as his face turned red. "My other clothes were starting to feel a little tight."

"You're…oh! You're showing!" Gray immediately rushed to Natsu's side and lifted his shirt.

"Watch it!"

Sure enough, Natsu's stomach had a slight bulge. Gray tentatively placed his hand on the small bump and smiled softly.

"It still doesn't seem real, does it?" Natsu asked softly as his mate lowered his shirt back.

"It's like a dream," replied Gray, pulling the fire mage into a hug and nuzzling his neck. He inhaled Natsu's scent deeply and froze when he detected another scent. "You were with Laxus."

Natsu felt himself stiffen at Gray's harsh tone. "Yeah. I was sitting in the park, and he came up to me. We talked for a bit, and then he offered to buy clothes as a congratulation gift."

Gray grabbed Natsu by the shoulders and pushed him back a bit. "Take the clothes back. Everything he bought, take them back."

"What? Why?" Gray wasn't making any sense.

"I don't like his scent on you."

Natsu sighed. Were they really going to go through this again? Gray had already done this with Sting. "Gray, I'm _your_ mate. Remember that. And this was just a gift. People at the guild are probably going to do this often. Everyone helps each other out at the guild."

"But I don't want Laxus doing it."

"Why? He's just a friend."

"Natsu, either you're going to take these clothes back or I will!"

"Gray, I don't understand why this is making you so angry," groaned Natsu as he tried to console his mate. "There's no harm in the clothes. And I said I'd share them with Rogue."

"Only _I_ can provide for you! You're _my_ mate!"

"I know I'm your mate," Natsu stated calmly as he tried to soothe Gray's rising temper. "And you do provide for me."

" _Only me!_ " Gray snapped, ice shooting out all around them. It continued to spread as the ice mage's possessiveness increased.

"Gray! Stop! You're freezing the house!" Natsu shouted. When that didn't work, the fire mage summoned his magic and heated up the bathroom. That seemed to knock some sense into Gray, but the anger was still there.

Gray looked at their dripping surroundings and frowned. "I'm leaving on my mission with Sting now. I'm helping him out at Sabertooth for about a week. These clothes had better be gone when I get back."

"Are you…threatening me?" Natsu questioned quietly. But the only response he received was the slamming of the front door.

* * *

The minute Rogue reached Natsu's house, he knew something was off, especially with the front door hanging off its hinge. He wasted no time in entering, and the sight that met him was strange, to say the least.

"Are you…defrosting your house?" asked Rogue, crossing his arms.

Natsu paused in his work—which consisted of his using his fire magic to melt the ice Gray had left behind earlier—and turned to his companion. "Kind of."

"What happened?" inquired Rogue.

Natsu sighed and rose to his feet. "Gray got angry because Laxus bought me some clothes as a gift since I'm starting to show. I was going to share them with you. I tried to explain things to Gray. I really did. But he just got even madder, which led to him freezing our house."

"He got angry over clothes?" he replied, eyebrow raised.

Natsu nodded. "He's having a hard time accepting that people might give us gifts. He feels that he's being undermined as a provider. He wasn't happy when he left, and he still expects me to get rid of the clothes by the time he gets back."

Rogue narrowed his eyes. "Did Gray threaten you?"

The fire mage looked uneasy and a little fearful. "It sounded like it at the time," he answered softly.

"You mate isn't supposed to do that," said Rogue. He was dumbfounded. "How can he say that when he's connected with you?"

Natsu remained silent.

"He _can_ feel you, can't he? You must have made the connection."

The fire mage just shook his head. "I've tried making a connection, but he blocks me."

Rogue stared at the floor. "When we complete our mating, it's not only in bodies, but in minds, too. Our minds are open to each other, but only in the sense that we can feel what the other is feeling at all times. If I'm worried, Sting will sense that and try to comfort me, and vice versa. Why don't you have that connection with Gray?"

Natsu shrugged. "He won't trust his instincts, and I don't know how to get him to. The possessive and aggressive part of his dragon nature overwhelms him, and then he lashes out. He won't open up to let me soothe him, and he won't listen."

Rogue approached Natsu and hugged him, offering the fire mage what comfort he could. "Let's not worry about Gray right now. When he comes back with Sting, we'll _all_ speak with him and make him understand what he needs to do."

Natsu snuggled closer to Rogue. "Okay."

"Gajeel's offer still stands to beat the shit out of him," added Rogue.

"I might take him up on that," mumbled Natsu tiredly. "I really want what you and Sting have. That's how a mating should be. I feel like Gray's just moving farther and farther away from me. But I thought I felt a connection with him today when he saw my baby bump. I wish you could have seen the smile on his face then."

Rogue ran his hand through Natsu's hair comfortingly. "I do know that Gray loves you. And the babies."

"I know that, too. But I almost feel as if it isn't enough."

Rogue frowned at Natsu's depressed expression. But that soon turned to one of worry when the fire mage suddenly paled. "Natsu?"

Hunching over, Natsu clutched at his stomach. "Ah!" he gasped.

"Natsu, what's wrong?!"

"Cramping! My st-stomach's cramping," Natsu wheezed as he dropped to his knees. "Get…help! Please!"

"Natsu, I'm not leaving you alone!"

"Please! D-Don't wanna lose…b-babies!" the fire mage exclaimed before losing consciousness.

Rogue caught him before he completely fell, panic consuming him. What was he supposed to do now? Here he was with an unconscious Natsu in his lap who was in obvious pain, and no means of getting help.

Why—oh, why—hadn't he brought Happy and Frosch with him?!

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	12. Doctor's Appointment

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** Man, do I love drama.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Doctor's Appointment (Rated T)**

Laxus sighed, his head resting in his left hand while his other swirled his drink around in his mug. He was sitting at his usual table with the rest of the Thunder God Tribe, but he tried to ignore everyone as his thoughts wandered back to Natsu.

The lightning mage wondered if the fire mage was all right. About three hours ago, Gray had entered the guild looked pissed as hell. He'd shot him a glare before grabbing Sting by the wrist and dragging him out of the guild. Gray's overall presence had made Laxus worry about Natsu all over again. His urge to protect him seemed to renew itself.

 _Help!_

Laxus's head shot up at the voice. He turned to Freed. "Did you say something?"

Freed raised his head from his book as he looked at Laxus with concern. "I didn't say a word. No one did."

"Then who—?"

 _Help! Please!_

This time, the voice sounded more urgent. Laxus stood and stared intently at the guild doors.

"Laxus?" Freed found himself growing more and more concerned.

"Something's wrong," Laxus found himself saying. His feet began carrying him to the door.

 _Help! Please! Hurts!_

"Laxus!" Freed shouted, trying to get his attention. The guild finally turned their attention to the lightning mage.

"You don't hear it?" asked Laxus.

"Hear what?"

"The voice. Wait. I think it's…in my head."

Makarov had been watching his grandson intently for the past few minutes, and he could never recall a time when Laxus had looked so disturbed.

"Do you want me to have a look at him Master Makarov?" asked Porlyusica. "Hearing voices is rather unusual."

"Hm," began Makarov, worry working itself onto his face, "perhaps you should."

"Quiet!" snapped Laxus as he tried to focus on the voice seeping into his mind.

 _Hurts! It hurts!_

"Laxus, let Porlyusica take a look at you. You don't seem well," said Makarov.

"I suggest you listen to your grandfather, Laxus," added Freed.

Slowly, something seemed to click in Laxus's mind. He knew whose voice it was. "Natsu. It's Natsu. Something's wrong. I need to get to Natsu."

Laxus finally had Gajeel and Wendy's attention.

"Something's wrong with Natsu?" Wendy gasped.

"How the hell do ya know that?" questioned Gajeel.

Laxus shook his head. "I hear his voice…in my head. I need to get to Natsu."

"I think he's at home right now," said Wendy. "Let's go."

"No. I need you here with Porlyusica. Be ready. I'll be faster on my own," replied Laxus.

Everyone watched as he bolted out the door. A sudden flash of lightning signaled that he'd just used his lightning step.

Wendy turned to Gajeel. "How is it that Laxus can hear Natsu's voice?"

"I don't really think it's his voice. I think it's whatever Natsu's feelin' that Laxus is sensin'," replied the iron dragon-slayer.

"But how is that possible between Laxus and Natsu? I thought connections were only possible between mates."

Gajeel frowned in thought. "Your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

"I still don't see why we couldn't have taken a train. It would've been a lot faster," stated Gray as he trudged beside Sting. The Sabertooth Master had decided that they should walk to the Sabertooth Guild.

"I told you already. We're going to tackle some smaller missions along the way. You need the money, right?"

Gray sighed in agitation. "Whatever."

Sting chanced a glance at the ice mage, noticing his mood still hadn't lightened. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been pissed this whole time. Even before we headed out. What's going on?"

Gray stopped walking and raised his head. He stared intently at the slowly moving clouds before taking a deep breath. "I got in a fight with Natsu."

Sting's head snapped in Gray's direction. "Explain."

"Ugh. Laxus took Natsu shopping for clothes. It was a gift. But I could smell Laxus all over Natsu. It made me angry. And I told Natsu to take the clothes back."

The white dragon-slayer's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Why?"

The temperature around them slowly began to drop. "I don't want anyone else providing for _my_ mate. Why doesn't anyone understand that?!"

"I think you're blowing things out of proportion," stated Sting as he brushed off the ice forming on his clothes. "And you need to relax. You're freezing everything."

Gray mumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What was that?" asked Sting.

"I said I did the same thing at home. I kind of froze the house. I know Natsu was telling me to stop, but I wasn't listening. He had to use his magic to get me to stop." Gray suddenly found himself being shoved. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You're such an idiot! How could you let Natsu use magic?! He's not supposed to right now! That's what Porlyusica said, right? It could harm the babies!"

Gray now looked a tad guilty.

"You are supposed to protect your mate! Do you have any idea how hard you're making things for Natsu?"

"I am protecting him!" Gray protested.

"If you're doing such a great job of protecting him, why does he come crying to Rogue every day," said Sting, pain showing in his eyes. "Do you have any idea how often I have to watch my mate console yours while he cries about you? I've never seen Natsu like this before. He's a strong person. He always has been. But whatever it is you're doing that turns him into this person, you need to stop!"

The guilt continued to grow within Gray. "What does…Natsu say?"

Sting glared at him. "If I tell you," he started, "you need to swear you won't get angry."

Was what Natsu said really that bad? "Okay. I won't get angry."

"Promise me."

"I promise!"

Sting sighed. "Natsu says he's afraid to talk to you. He thinks you'll snap at him because you've become more aggressive lately. Not to mention possessive."

"I…I don't snap at him," Gray defended.

"I think your record speaks for itself," snapped Sting. "You got pissed off and froze your damn house because of some clothes. You don't think that's being aggressive? Plus, you don't want anyone helping you out because your stupid pride gets in the way. It makes you too possessive over Natsu. You're slowly alienating him from everyone because you don't want anyone near him."

"I…I…"

Sting turned his back on Gray. "You're such a shitty ma—!"

The ice mage stared at Sting apprehensively when the white dragon-slayer hastily spun around, his eyes staring down the way they'd come. His expression had become one of concern.

"Sting?"

"Something's wrong," he said. "Rogue is panicking. He's scared."

"What? How do you know that?" questioned Gray.

"The connection."

"The connection?"

Sting started heading back toward Magnolia. "You can't feel Natsu? What he's feeling?"

"No," replied Gray. "Should I?"

"You should," said Sting as he began running, Gray following closely behind. "Maybe that's why you're being a shitty mate. But we'll figure that out later. We need to get back to Fairy Tail. Fast. Something's frightened Rogue badly. I need to get to him."

* * *

"Natsu, wake up," begged Rogue, patting the fire mage on the face. "Please?"

The shadow dragon-slayer didn't know what to do. He didn't want to leave Natsu all alone, and it wasn't like he could carry the fire mage either, lest he risk his own pregnancy. What was he going to do?

A flash of lightning striking the house shook Rogue out of his thoughts. He stared fearfully at the charred hole in the ceiling. His eyes drifted downward and landed on a person.

"Laxus?" Hope filled Rogue.

The lightning mage knelt in front of the other two dragon-slayers. "What happened?"

"N-Natsu began clutching his stomach. He said he was cramping. He told me to go for help, but I couldn't leave him alone! I didn't know what to do!" cried Rogue.

Laxus ruffled Rogue's hair comfortingly. "It's gonna be fine. I'm taking the both of you to the guild. Porlyusica and Wendy are on standby."

"Wait. How did you know we needed help?"

Laxus gently picked up Natsu in his arms. "I heard him call out to me. Now, grab onto my arm. I'm going to use my lightning step. We'll be at the guild in no time."

* * *

Porlyusica and Wendy bustled into action the second Laxus stepped into the guild holding Natsu, Rogue at his side.

"Get him to the infirmary quickly," ordered Porlyusica.

Rogue stood in the doorway of the guild as he watched Laxus take Natsu away, his body trembling.

"Hey. I got ya," consoled Gajeel, pulling Rogue into his arms.

"Sting. I want Sting," mumbled Rogue over and over again.

Gajeel guided Rogue into a chair. "Lector! Happy!"

The two Exceeds rushed over, Frosch in hot pursuit.

"What can we do?" asked Lector.

"I need you two to bring Sting and Gray back. Now!"

"Aye, sir!" cried Happy. Both Exceeds flew out of the guild as fast as they could.

Frosch, however, gingerly climbed into Rogue's lap and hugged him. He smiled when the shadow dragon-slayer wrapped his arms around him. Frosch did all he could to offer Rogue comfort.

"He hurt him again," muttered Rogue. "I think that's why this is happening."

Gajeel sat next to his friend and rubbed his back. "Tell me what happened."

"Gray…became angry with Natsu. He froze the house. I found Natsu trying to melt the ice with his magic. It's all because Laxus bought him some clothes."

Gajeel growled. They _really_ needed to have a serious talk with Gray. Or a beating. He was leaning more toward a beating.

"Natsu seemed so depressed. And then…he was in pain. He said his stomach was cramping, and he passed out. I didn't know what to do. I was alone with Natsu. I knew he needed help, but I couldn't just _leave_ him."

"Hey," said Gajeel. "You did everything ya could. He was safe because ya stayed with him until help arrived. Don't worry about it. Ya did good."

"I'm worried he'll lose the babies," whispered Rogue. "And if he does, I'm almost positive he'll follow. He…hasn't made a connection with Gray, so there's no reason he would—."

"Stop talkin' like that. He's gonna be fine. So are the babies," said Gajeel. "And he might not have made a connection with Gray yet, but…somehow he made one with Laxus."

Rogue finally looked Gajeel in the eyes. "How…is that possible? Connections are only made between mates…right?"

"I'm not sure."

"You don't think…Laxus was supposed to be Natsu's true mate, do you?"

"I feel like I don't know anythin' anymore."

* * *

"Well?" inquired Makarov when Porlyusica came out of the infirmary.

"Natsu is fine physically. It was a good thing you brought him here when you did, Laxus," she started. "He's still in his first trimester, and cramping often results from normal changes that occur during a baby's development, which is the case here. Cramps can generally be described as pulling sensations on one or both sides of the abdomen. I think his emotional state and using magic made the situation worse than it actually was."

Laxus sighed in relief. "So the babies and Natsu are going to be all right?"

"The babies are fine; however, I am concerned for Natsu's mental state," replied Porlyusica solemnly. "I've been doing my research. It seems Natsu hasn't made a connection with his mate. Am I correct?"

Wendy nodded. "That's true, but…"

"But?" inquired the healer.

Wendy glanced at Laxus briefly before turning her attention back to the older woman. "I think Laxus established a connection with Natsu."

"Is that so?" Porlyusica crossed her arms, deep in thought.

"I…what?" asked Laxus.

"You made a mental connection with Natsu," repeated Wendy. "As far as I know, that only happens between mates. It just seems odd that you made a connection with Natsu, and Gray hasn't."

"Laxus," started Porlyusica, "do you have any idea what brought this on? Have you felt different lately?"

"Well, the minute I found out Natsu was knocked up, I felt a bit strange," replied Laxus as he scratched the back of his head uneasily.

"Strange how?"

"I…felt the urge to take care of him. Protect him if need be. And then this afternoon, I was starting to feel worried about him."

"Were you thinking about him a lot?" asked Porlyusica.

"I guess you could say that. And that's when I heard his voice, I guess."

"What did this voice say?"

"Um…help. Please. Hurts. I didn't know who it was at first, but then I just knew who it was and where to go."

"So you really _did_ make a connection with him," commented Porlyusica.

Makarov began sputtering. "Does that mean Laxus is Natsu's mate?!"

Laxus's eyes widened.

Porlyusica responded by smacking Makarov in the back of the head. "No, you imbecile."

Makarov sighed in relief, as did Laxus.

"Then why can I sense him?" asked the lightning mage.

Porlyusica turned her attention back to Laxus. "I want you to try something. Focus on Wendy."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"Fine." Laxus took a deep breath and let his thoughts wander to Wendy. She was a nice little girl, always sweet and endearing. Wendy would make a fine woman some day. And he'd make sure she was treated with the utmost loyalty and respect.

 _Natsu…_

Laxus discreetly looked over at Wendy, the urge to console her overwhelming him. He could feel it. He could feel how worried she was for Natsu. Stepping toward the young girl, he patted her head, which caused her to look up.

"Natsu's going to be fine. I'm sure of it," he said. The minute the words left his mouth, he could feel Wendy's spirits lift.

"It's just as I thought," Porlyusica stated. "It seems Laxus can create a connection with the dragon-slayers. Congratulations, Laxus. You just became the alpha of your little dragon clan."

Laxus blinked a few times as he let the information sink in. "Excuse me?"

"But I think that piece of information should be the least of your worries," stated the healer seriously. "If Gray doesn't establish a connection with Natsu soon, I'm afraid Natsu won't make it. He's been in an incomplete mating for far too long. As I said before, he's fine physically. But the connection is the final piece of the mating. Natsu won't last much longer without it.

"If anything, Laxus's connection to him at the moment is the only thing preventing him from…fading away, I'm afraid. You need to bring that ice mage back here as soon as possible. Natsu's life and the lives of their children depend on it."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	13. Connection

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** So many of you hate Gray right now. I guess that means I'm doing my job right. Get ready for this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Connection (Rated T)**

"So that means…Natsu could…Natsu could die?" Wendy gasped as tears filled her eyes.

Laxus growled. There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen. He'd force Gray to…wait. If he had the ability to establish a connection with all the dragon-slayers, maybe he'd be able to connect with Gray.

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work," said Laxus. "What if I try to connect with Gray?"

"But Gray hasn't even connected with Natsu. How would you even do that with him? He's so closed off," said Wendy.

"I'm remembering something Natsu told me," replied Laxus. "He said that he tried consoling Gray however he could, listened to how he was feeling and all that. I think Natsu connected with him, but it was only one sided. Maybe even temporary. But the connection was weak. He said Gray wouldn't let him in."

"Perhaps Natsu believed that if he could fully connect with Gray on his side, that Gray would finally open up," summed up Makarov. "But I suppose after so many attempts, it finally wore Natsu out. Maybe that contributed to the state he's in now."

"That makes sense," said Wendy. "But I still don't understand what Laxus connecting with Gray will accomplish."

"I think I know where you're going with this," said Porlyusica. "Laxus intends to make a connection with Gray in order to feel him. He hopes to figure out just what is making that moron of an ice mage shut Natsu out."

Laxus nodded. "And then I'll do what needs to be done." Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the lightning mage let his thoughts drift to Gray, the stupid ice bastard. How dare he continuously hurt Natsu. Could he not see what he was doing to his mate?

 _Gray. Want Gray._

Shit. His thoughts had drifted back to Natsu. He needed to focus on Gray. Just what the hell was Gray thinking? He was such a whiny control freak. That fucking, frozen bastard!

Suddenly, Laxus felt something. He felt him. He felt Gray. Opening his eyes, he crossed his arms in thought. "So that's what's going on with him."

"What? What's going on?" questioned Wendy.

Laxus turned on his heels and headed into the main room of the guild, the others following him. He walked swiftly over to Gajeel and stared down at him and Rogue.

"Rogue," said Laxus. "I want you to go with Wendy and stay with Natsu. Gajeel, you and I are stepping outside."

Gajeel stood. "Huh? Why?"

"We're going to intercept Sting and Gray," growled Laxus. "I'm going to challenge Gray for Natsu. You and Sting are going to help me."

Gajeel began sputtering as Rogue looked at Laxus uneasily. Wendy paled. She'd never heard of such a thing between dragons before.

"Like hell I will!" shouted Gajeel, finally finding his voice.

Laxus glared at Gajeel. "You _will_ do as I say."

The iron dragon-slayer didn't know why, but he felt compelled to listen. "Fine. Whatever. The ice bastard needs a beating anyway."

 _I just hope my plan works_ , thought Laxus. _Otherwise, all is lost._

* * *

"Where are they?!" exclaimed Lector, growing impatient.

"They have to be around here somewhere!" said Happy frantically. "They only left a few hours ago!"

"Yeah, but who knows how far they travelled in all that time!"

"We need to find them soon," whined Happy. "Natsu didn't look so good."

"Neither did Rogue," added Lector uneasily.

* * *

"We _really_ need to get back," panted Sting, panic creeping into his voice.

"Are you…feeling something else?" asked Gray. He had to admit, he was a bit jealous that Sting could feel what Rogue was feeling. Why couldn't he feel Natsu?

"Rogue just went from panicked to depressed. I-I don't know why he'd feel that way unless…" Sting stopped running.

Gray nearly slammed into his back. "Unless what?" Sting didn't reply, which only made the ice mage anxious. "Unless what?!"

"U-Unless something happened…to Natsu," answered Sting, his voice barely above a whisper. That brought a whole new level of worry to Sting. He didn't know what Rogue would do if something happened to Natsu. They'd become so close. Would Rogue even be able to function without him?

Gray, on the other hand, was going through a whole different set of emotions. Panic and fear slowly crept through him. Did something really happen to Natsu? If so, what? Was he even okay? And the last thing he'd said to him was in anger. What the hell had he done? They needed to get back to Fairy Tail!

"Sting!"

"Gray! We finally found you!"

The white dragon-slayer saw a fast, tiny blur slam into his chest. "Lector?"

"We need to get you guys back to Fairy Tail! Now!" shouted Happy. The blue Exceed wasted no time in grabbing Gray and flying off, with Lector doing the same with Sting.

"What's going on?" demanded Gray.

"I don't know what's happened since we left," started Happy, "but Natsu collapsed and his stomach started cramping. He looked like he was really hurting. Laxus and Rogue brought him to the guild."

"But Rogue wasn't doing too well, either," added Lector. "He kept calling for you, Sting. Over and over again."

Gray felt his heart slam against his chest painfully. _Natsu, please be all right. I'm coming._ "Happy, take me home as fast as you can!"

"Aye, sir! Max speed!" Happy shouted as he took off as fast as his wings could manage. Lector and Sting were not far behind.

* * *

"What the hell are we doin' outside the guild?" grumbled Gajeel. "And why the hell do we have an audience?!" He shot a glare at all the guild members who'd gathered outside.

"Don't worry about them," said Laxus as he stared ahead of him. He saw a flash and smirked. "Here they come. Get ready."

Gajeel groaned and crossed his arms. Just what the hell was the lightning freak thinking?

Gathering up his magic, Laxus shot a bolt of lightning toward the incoming Exceeds and their patrons. This only caused Happy and Lector to drop their cargo and land unceremoniously on the ground.

"What the hell, Laxus?! You almost hit us!" snapped Gray, getting up and dusting himself off.

"I know. I missed," countered the lightning mage.

Gray shot him a glare before heading toward the guild. A bolt of lightning stopped him. "Laxus, let me by."

"No," replied Laxus, summoning another bolt of lightning.

"I'm warning you," growled Gray.

"And I'm challenging you," Laxus stated with a smirk.

"To what?"

Sting watched the exchange uneasily. Tensions were high. All he wanted to do was get to Rogue, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to at the moment.

"I'm going to take Natsu from you. You're not a very good mate. I'd make a better one. Besides, I've already established a connection with him. While you were off with Sting, I was helping Natsu. Shouldn't that have been you? Well, it could have been you if you had made a connection with him."

A blast of ice hit Laxus's face, which only made him smirk even more. "Shut up!"

"Did I hit a nerve? Good. You weren't there for him when he needed you. Do you have any idea how much he begged and pleaded for help? Do you have any idea how much pain he was in? Do you? Of course not! Because I connected with him and you didn't."

Gray felt his rage building. "I said shut up! You have no idea how I feel!"

"Don't I?" taunted Laxus. "You think you're useless and worthless as Natsu's mate. You feel he could do a whole lot better than you. But then you don't even want to let him go to find someone better. How selfish are you? And you claim you love him."

"I _do_ love Natsu! He's _my_ mate!" snapped Gray, the insecurities he'd kept locked inside slowly slipping out. " _He's my mate!_ "

"Not for long," replied Laxus. "Gajeel. Sting. You are not to let Gray into the guild. Not until this fight is over."

Sting swallowed hard as he looked to Gajeel, who seemed to be apprehensive about this whole situation. All Sting wanted to do was get to Rogue, but he didn't think Laxus would let _anyone_ near the guild at this point.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice Dragon's Roar!"

"Is that the best you can do, Gray?" cackled Laxus. "You must really want me as Natsu's mate!"

"Like hell I'll let you take him from me!"

"Then prove you're worthy of him!"

* * *

"They're really going at it out there," stated Wendy softly. "I can't believe Laxus is doing this. I don't know what he's thinking."

"I'm not sure," replied Rogue as he began feeling angry. He sensed Sting's longing, but it seemed Laxus was preventing his mate from coming to him.

"Rogue, you're using your magic."

"Hm?" Rogue noticed his shadows swarming around him. He hadn't even known he'd been doing that.

"You're not supposed to use magic. Remember what Porlyusica said. It'll tire you out."

"I don't feel tired from that, though," replied Rogue. If anything, he felt energized. Another pang of longing from Sting made his anger spike again, which only agitated his shadows. He turned to Natsu and stroked his face. "Natsu, you need to wake up. Laxus is fighting Gray over you."

* * *

 _ **Inside Natsu's Mind**_

Why won't Gray open up to me? Why is he so shut off? He loves me. I know he does. And there are moments when I can truly feel him. I feel him when he's happy, but that's all he'll let me feel. The minute his mood changes, he shuts me out again.

And that means he can't feel me…

 _Worthless. Useless._

Huh?

 _Worthless mate. Useless mate._

Is that…Gray?

 _He deserves better than me._

Gray? It's Gray!

 _I don't deserve him. He's too good for me._

That's not true, Gray!

 _All I do is hurt him. What kind of a mate does that?_

Gray, please!

 _I've had so much pain in my life. And I lose everyone I love._

Gray, I want to help you!

 _Maybe I do…need to let Natsu go so he doesn't suffer the same fate._

Let me help you! Gray, let me in!

* * *

Natsu shot up from the bed, scaring Wendy and Rogue nearly half to death.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" asked the small dragon-slayer.

Rogue threw his arms around his close friend. "Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?"

"I felt him," mumbled Natsu. "I felt Gray. I didn't know he was so…insecure about us. I need to get to Gray."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea right now," said Wendy.

"Why?"

"Well," she began uneasily, "Laxus won't let anyone into the guild, including Gray. And he is kind of fighting Gray over you."

Natsu stared blankly at her. "Huh?"

"In other words, Laxus is claiming that he wants to replace Gray as your mate," stated Rogue.

Natsu narrowed his eyes in anger. "LIKE HELL HE WILL!"

* * *

Gray felt a spark of rage enter his mind. _What the hell was that?_ "Ack!" The momentary lapse in his concentration caused Laxus to land a punch to his face, which knocked him to the ground.

"If you keep spacing out like that, Natsu will be my mate in no time," taunted Laxus. "But perhaps, this is the end of our fight. You're running low on magical power, and I've still got plenty left." He raised his fist above Gray, lightning crackling around it.

Once Laxus brought his fist down, however, Gray wasn't there. "What the hell?"

"Laxus, I'm not pleased about you keeping my mate from me," said Rogue as he glared at the lightning mage, whose shadows had snapped up not only Gray, but Gajeel and Sting. "And I highly recommend you duck."

"Huh?"

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

"Shit!" Laxus gasped as he barely dodged the blast. He turned to see a fairly pissed off Natsu staring him down looking ready to kill.

" _Stay…away…from my…mate_ ," Natsu ground out.

Laxus shot his head up in confusion when he felt something light land in his hair. "Snow?"

"How _dare_ you treat my mate that way," Natsu growled, the ground rumbling beneath his feet with each step he took.

"And what way is that?"

"You hurt him. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart."

"I guess my plan worked," stated Laxus as he brushed off the snow that continued to fall.

"Huh?" The minute Natsu grew confused, the snow eased up and the ground settled down.

"You felt him, right? That's why you woke up, and you're out here trying to beat the shit out of me."

Natsu's anger faltered. "Wait. Were you provoking Gray on purpose?" Laxus nodded. "You made him feel so insecure about being my mate!"

"I was only trying to bring out what he was keeping locked up inside," said Laxus. "I never truly intended to take Gray's place as your mate. I just wanted to help him establish his connection with you. And I think Gray felt you, too."

"I don't know if I want to kill you or hug you," mumbled Natsu.

"How about I give you a moment so the two of you can talk?" Laxus offered.

Natsu nodded and turned his attention to Gray, taking a hesitant step forward.

The ice mage gulped when he sensed the sliver of fear in the longing coming from Natsu. Was this truly how Natsu felt all the time? Well, it was going to stop. Walking up to his mate, he gradually let his instincts take over.

He pulled Natsu into his arms and nuzzled him. Gray inhaled his mate's scent and let his strong emotions for Natsu fill his heart, hoping it would get to him.

It seemed it did because Natsu tightened his grip around him, and Gray felt the fear and longing dissipate, only to be replaced by love and comfort.

Sting had been right. His instincts would help him know what to do. How had he resisted this for so long? He'd been missing so much these past few months.

"I'm so sorry I've been hurting you," stated Gray in a hoarse voice. "I will never put you through that ever again."

"I'm so happy you've finally let me in," sighed Natsu. "This is what I wanted all along. And you don't need to feel useless or worthless. You are more than worthy of being my mate. You don't need to feel so insecure."

"I just…I just feel that if I open up to you all the way…I'll lose you. I don't want to lose you," Gray said, resting his forehead on Natsu's as he stared deeply into his eyes.

"You're not going to lose me," insisted Natsu. "Trust your instincts. Let them guide you. That's all you need to do. We're in this together. For life. I love you. So much."

"And I love you," replied Gray. But then he pulled out of his mate's hug, panic clearly evident on his face. "Wait a minute! You used magic! You're not supposed to! It could harm the—!"

"Nope! We're fine!" said Natsu with a large grin, placing his hands on his stomach. "Rogue is, too."

Sting clutched the sides of his head. "How did I miss that?! Rogue! You used magic! What if the baby—?!"

"The baby is fine, Sting. As am I," stated Rogue calmly. "Natsu and I have this magic business all figured out, I think."

"Well, then would you mind enlightening _us_?!"

"I have to agree with Sting on this one," said Gray.

"Rogue and I have full control over our magic when it comes to…protective circumstances. It doesn't have the same affect on us if we use it otherwise. We felt the need to protect our mates, so we were able to use our magic," said Natsu. "And it was kind of fun taking my new magic for a test drive. The whole snow and earth thing is gonna be a blast."

"Wait. The snow and the ground shaking was you?" asked Gray.

"Yep."

The ice mage wondered if Natsu would keep these new gifts after the babies were born. If so, Natsu would definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

"Gihi." Gajeel crossed his arms and smirked. It seemed everything had turned out all right. He turned to tell Laxus as much, but paused. The lightning mage looked as pale as a ghost. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

Laxus swallowed hard. "I just realized something. I'll tell you in a minute. But first I need to do something."

Gajeel watched in confusion as Laxus approached Natsu and the others. Just what the hell was he up to now?

"Natsu," called out Laxus. His response was a flaming fist to the face. The lightning mage cupped his cheek and spat out some blood that seeped into his mouth. "I think I deserved that."

"You bet your ass you do," spat Natsu. "What the hell do you want now? I'm trying to soothe my mate." Even though he acknowledged Laxus's intentions, he was still pissed at him.

"I wanted to apologize for putting you guys through that, but I was only trying to help," Laxus said. "And I want to make it up to you guys."

Rogue approached Laxus, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed in skepticism. "You kept my mate from me. And you hurt Sting in doing so. State your terms."

Sting nudged Gray. "Hey. Do you feel like the tables have turned somehow? Shouldn't it be us doing that?"

"I think they're being protective of us at the moment," replied Gray.

"Yeah, but aren't we supposed to be the ones protecting them?"

"I think we should let it go. Did you even see the display Natsu put on?" questioned Gray. "Natsu was angry, but not pissed as hell. I can only imagine what both Natsu and Rogue would be capable of if they had been."

Sting thought it over for a minute, color draining from his face when he remembered what Rogue was normally like when pissed. Add pregnancy hormones on top of that, and you had someone who could probably take over the world. "You're right. Let's just smile, nod, and do whatever they say the next few days."

"Agreed. Oof!" The air was knocked out of Gray when Natsu came hurtling at him, hugging him tightly. "What are you so excited about?"

"Weren't you paying attention at all?" asked Natsu as he frowned at his mate. "Since Laxus feels bad about what he did, he's paying for the four of us to go to an onsen for a week in a city near Sabertooth. You and Sting got called back because of what happened, so we're taking a mini vacation and then heading to Sabertooth in order for you and Sting to get your work done."

"Okay. It sounds like fun," replied Gray with a smile. He kissed Natsu gently on the lips. "It'll be nice spending time together without having to worry about anything."

Natsu briefly glanced at Rogue before looking back at his mate. "Yeah."

* * *

Laxus had been insistent on getting them sent to the onsen straightaway. He wouldn't even let them pack, stating that everything would be provided for them.

So that's how the four dragon-slayers found themselves being seated on a train that would head for their destination. Both Natsu and Rogue took the window seats, which left Gray and Sting to sit beside them.

"Are you two going to be all right?" inquired Rogue, looking at them expectantly.

"What do you mean?" asked Gray.

"You know, because of the motion sickness and all that," said Natsu.

"Motion sickness?" echoed the ice mage. "Motion sickness! Do you think that'll happen to me?!"

"Well, you are a dragon-slayer now, so it's to be expected," answered Rogue. "Natsu and I will be fine since we're pregnant. It seems to stop motion sickness."

"Hm. Gray, maybe you should take the window seat," said Natsu as he looked worriedly at his mate.

Gray huffed and crossed his arms. "I'll be fine."

"Well, I sure as hell won't," said Sting. "Don't we have anymore motion sickness brownies from Yukino?"

"Oh!" replied Rogue. "I might." He removed a small bag from inside his coat. Reaching inside, he pulled out a single brownie. "I only have one, I'm afraid."

Sting snatched it out of his hand and gobbled it down, leaning backward in his seat with a smug look on his face. "Have fun, Gray. You'll be the odd one out," he said as the train lurched forward.

Gray's face turned a sickly green almost immediately. Natsu rubbed his back while Rogue sighed.

"Sting, you do realize that on the way back you'll be in the same situation as Gray. There are no more brownies, so you probably shouldn't tease him," stated the shadow dragon-slayer.

"We're heading to Sabertooth after the onsen. We'll just get some more from Yukino then."

"She's on a month long trip in Crocus. Yukino won't even be at the guild while we're there."

Sting's eyes widened as he realized what Rogue was telling him. "Son of a—!"

"Bluurgh!"

"Oh, no," commented Rogue as he stared at him vomit-covered mate. "I do suppose that serves you right for teasing Gray."

"I'm…blegh…so sorry…Sting. I didn't mean to…blurrgh!"

"L-Let's get you to the window, Gray," said Natsu as he attempted to shove his mate's head out the window. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Laxus burst into the guild looking like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "I need everyone's help!"

Makarov took in his grandson's disheveled state and raised an eyebrow. "Help for what?"

"I kind of…accidentally…destroyed Natsu's…house?"

Makarov spat out his drink. "What?!" he sputtered. "How?!"

"Lightning step. I entered and exited the house that way. I wasn't really thinking at the time. I kind of left it in an uninhabitable state."

Being Makarov could start scolding him, Laxus cut him off.

"Anyway, I thought this would be an opportunity to work together to renovate the house. Make it bigger, you know? It could be a gift from the guild since we'll be getting new members in our Fairy Tail family in several months."

Gajeel grinned. "Sounds like a plan. However, there's something else everyone should know."

* * *

 **End Chapter**


	14. Vacation

**Family is Everything**

* * *

Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Summary: Natsu accidentally claims Gray as his mate, leading to some unexpected consequences. Gratsu/MPREG

* * *

 **Author's Note #1:** Let's have a little fun, shall we?

* * *

 **Chapter 14 – Vacation (Rated T)**

"Gray," started Natsu as he sighed, "the train stop five minutes ago. We can get off now."

"Then why are we still moving?" the ice mage responded dizzily.

Natsu turned to Sting. "Can you help him off the train? I don't think he'll make it otherwise."

The white dragon-slayer stared at Gray emotionlessly. He'd only recently cleaned himself of the vomit. He did _not_ want to go through that again. "Why can't you do it? He's your mate. Ow! Rogue! What the hell?!"

Rogue lowered his hand and watched his mate rub the back of his head tenderly. "Do you really believe either of us is capable of dragging Gray off this train at the moment?"

"Well, sorry! You guys make it kind of hard to remember you're pregnant. Seeing as how you can still smack people around," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that, Sting. Keep it up, and I'll be rooming with Natsu during this trip."

"Fine! I'll help Gray!" Sting conceded. He marched over to the ice mage and pulled one of his arms over his shoulder. "I swear, if you throw up on me again, I'm leaving your sorry ass on the train."

"Just get me off," Gray groaned.

The minute everyone was off the train, Gray collapsed on the ground as if worshipping the earth beneath him. "I'm never going on a train again," he declared.

"Yeah, we all say that, but there's really no way to avoid transportation," replied Natsu, slightly amused by his mate's behavior. That was, until Gray knelt before him on his knees and took his hands in his own. "Gray?"

"Natsu," the ice mage began, "I've had a lot of time to think."

"During all that vomiting?"

"Y…Yes. I had a chance to really reassess my life. It was almost like my life was flashing before my eyes. And I now realize what I have to do. I should have done this a long time ago. I really shouldn't have waited until now to say it."

 _What the hell is he doing? Wait! Is he proposing to me? In the middle of the fucking train station?!_ Natsu thought frantically. "Gray, get up. You're making a scene!" he said when he witnessed everyone turning their attention toward the couple.

"Not until I get through this," continued the ice mage. "You know I love you, and I do realize how much I've hurt you. All of that is going to change. I promise. So…will you…"

Sting watched as Rogue's eyes twinkled, a small smile on his face. _Shit! Cut it out, Gray! You're giving Rogue ideas and making me look bad!_

"W-Will I what?" Natsu asked nervously. This was it. But why did it have to be in the least romantic spot possible?!

"Natsu, will you…forgive me?"

The fire mage felt his world come to a stop. "Say what?"

"Will you forgive me?"

"For…give you? For what?" This wasn't a proposal?!

"Will you forgive me for all the taunting and teasing I did to you when you were motion sick?"

Rogue's happiness plummeted. How dare Gray get his hopes up like that?! He'd expected Gray to kick things up a notch so that Sting would follow suit. Their mates were morons. Complete and utter morons!

"You…idiot!" Natsu snapped as he tried to hide his embarrassment. How could he have thought Gray was going to propose to him? Although, he had to admit, he was slightly disappointed.

"Huh?" responded Gray, utterly confused by Natsu's reaction.

"Come, Natsu. Let's head to the hotel," said Rogue, taking the fire mage's hand and leading him away. "Unbelievable."

Gray watched the two dragon-slayers walk away. "What just happened?"

"You really don't know what that looked like just now, do you?" asked Sting, hands clasped behind his head.

Gray shook his head.

"You had everyone here thinking you were going to propose," stated Sting as he walked away. "Including Natsu."

Gray stared blankly after him. "P-Propose?" As in…marriage?!

* * *

Laxus lifted another beam as he prepared to put it into place. Construction of the new house had begun not too long ago. And Gajeel's revelation that it would not only house Gray and Natsu, but Sting and Rogue as well, threw everyone into chaos.

Luckily Laxus was able to sort them out. He wanted to ensure that his newly acknowledged dragon family had everything they could possibly need. Everyone at the guild eagerly agreed.

"Laxus," called Makarov, who'd been watching his grandson for some time.

"Yeah, Gramps?" the lightning mage responded.

Makarov cleared his throat. It was now over never. "When do you plan on…settling down? Finding a mate, so to speak."

Laxus's grip on the beam faltered, and everyone paused in their work to look at the lightning mage. "E-Excuse me?"

"I just worry about you sometimes. And it seems so many of our members—even younger than yourself—are settling down and starting families, and I wondered if you had a special someone." Makarov almost had a heart attack when Laxus began blushing. "L-Laxus?!"

"U-Um. I-I…"

"Are you saying you've found someone?! Are they in Fairy Tail?!" Makarov exclaimed, pointing his finger at his grandson.

If anything, Laxus got even redder. "I-I need…to get some more supplies. I'll be right back," he said before taking off.

Makarov stared after him in astonishment. His grandson actually liked someone! His reaction confirmed it! There was only one problem! "Who in the world is my grandson in love with?!"

* * *

"I can't believe I thought he was going to propose to me," grumbled Natsu as they headed for the hotel.

"You and me both," replied Rogue. He cast a small glance to his right. "Did you want him to?"

"Honestly, I'd never thought much about it. I mean, we're already mates. But when he knelt in front of me, and I thought he was going to propose, I felt really happy. Even if it was a less than desirable location for it," Natsu answered.

Rogue sighed. "I was hoping he would, too. I thought that would get Sting to do the same."

Natsu glanced behind them. "You know, they look kind of miserable right now."

The shadow dragon-slayer hummed in agreement before his expression became sad. "We still need to talk to them about—."

"I know. I'm still worried about how they'll take it."

"Hey," said Sting as he jogged up to them. He grabbed Rogue's arm. "Are you okay? You felt really sad just now."

"Yeah. I felt that from Natsu, too," said Gray, looking at his mate worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he couldn't form the words.

"We're upset," said Rogue. "We thought Gray was proposing, and it turned out to be quite disappointing." Sure, it wasn't really what they were sad about, but there was a hint of truth to it.

"I knew it!" hissed Sting. "I told you, Gray!"

"How was I supposed to know that's what Natsu wanted?!" responded Gray. "And for your information, that means Rogue was expecting a proposal from you, too!"

Sting's eyes widened. "Rogue, I—."

"It doesn't matter," the shadow dragon-slayer cut in as he resumed walking. "What's done is done. There's no need to linger on it anymore."

"What he said," agreed Natsu.

Gray and Sting watched them go.

"You know what this means, right?" asked Gray.

The white dragon-slayer nodded. "We let them room together."

"What? No! We find a way to propose! Why are you such a moron?!"

"It takes one to know one!"

"It's better to let someone think you are an idiot than open your mouth and prove it!"

"Ooh! That's original! Is your ass jealous of the amount of shit that just came out of your mouth?"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Natsu roared back at them. "If I wanted to practice taking care of children, I'd do it with Asuka, not you two bumbling idiots! Now shut up and make this a good vacation for all of us, or you will suffer the wrath of two very pissed off pregnant dragons!"

Gray and Sting swallowed thickly and nodded as they watched Rogue and Natsu continue moving forward.

"Is it just me, or is Natsu incredibly hot when he's pissed?" stated Gray.

"You, my friend, have a death wish."

* * *

Levy stared at Gajeel's house nervously. Why'd he ask her to come over? He wasn't going to go on about this mating business again, was he?

Hesitantly, she knocked on the door. It immediately whipped open to reveal an exhausted looking Gajeel.

"Ya made it," he said tiredly.

"Well, yeah. You asked me to come. Are you all right?" she asked as he let her inside.

"Just tired. I was up all night workin'."

"On what?" she asked curiously.

"These," he replied, pointing at the three beautifully crafted structures in from of him.

"Cribs!" Levy gasped. "You handcrafted cribs? They're beautiful! I didn't know you could work so well with wood."

Gajeel flopped onto his couch and sank into it. "There's a lot ya don't know about me then. Ya really think they look good?"

Levy traced the intricate dragon carvings on the wood. "They're stunning," she replied softly. "What did you need me for?"

The iron dragon-slayer stretched and let out a huge yawn. "I was wonderin' if you could place some kind of protection runes on them or somethin' to prevent the little brats from chewin' their way out."

"They…They can do that?" Just what kind of monsters were Natsu and Rogue having?

"It's a dragon-slayer thing. They'll eat. A lot. Even if it means eatin' their way out of the cribs. And I didn't do all this fuckin' work for it to eaten by a handful of brats."

Levy smiled and put her hands on her hips. "I think I can help with that," she said. "It was really sweet of you to…Gajeel?"

She tried to stifle her laughter when she realized the tough dragon-slayer had fallen asleep on the couch with his mouth hanging open. Walking over to Gajeel, Levy brushed a strand of hair out of his face. He seemed to melt into her touch. "You really are sweet, Gajeel. Just give me a little more time."

* * *

"This place is nice," whistled Gray. "I didn't expect to be set up at such an elegant ryokan."

"I didn't know we'd receive our own private bath," Natsu said in awe. "This place is amazing."

"Hey. I see they've provided us with yukatas. How about you change, and I'll get us some tea ready."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Get comfortable. I know you're tired. Just relax and let me take care of you."

"Okay," Natsu replied with a smile as he grabbed one of the provided yukata. "I'll be back in a bit."

When Natsu left to change in the bathroom, Gray approached the table near the entrance of the room laden with supplies for making tea. Several minutes later, he had the tea ready and waited for Natsu.

"You have no idea how comfy this is," said the fire mage when he reentered the room, smoothing out his yukata.

Gray raised his head. "That looks good on," he said, approaching Natsu and pulling him into his arms. "You're adorable."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at him. "Guys are not adorable."

"I guess that makes you the exception then," Gray responded. "Maybe we should buy you a few."

"Hm? Why?"

"I figure it's got to be more comfortable than your regular clothes. It's a little more manageable for you since you're starting to show. Don't you think you'd feel more comfortable wearing these during your pregnancy?"

"I guess you're right. Maybe we can get a couple."

Gray smiled. "Consider it done. Now let's have some tea."

He led Natsu to the table and they sat on the floor. The ice mage poured his mate a cup of tea, which he sipped casually.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," chuckled Gray, admiring the pleased expression on Natsu's face.

"I can't really remember the last time I've felt so relaxed. We owe Laxus a very big thank you when we get back. Maybe we should pick him up a gift."

"Okay," replied Gray, removing the cup of tea from Natsu's hands and setting it on the table. He leaned in and kissed his mate firmly on the mouth. "But I don't want to think about Laxus right now. I want to focus on you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And there's something I want to say," Gray began uneasily. He cleared his throat. "Sometimes…loving you is a bit scary, because I feel it'll just all disappear one day, which is why I think I've been holding onto you so possessively. I feel like…if I ease up, just a little, I'll lose you. I know I shouldn't think that way, but I've lost so much in my life that the idea just haunts me."

"Gray…"

"Let me finish. And so…I…I feel that your purpose is to shake me up a little bit, knock my pride down a peg or two, show me that I can be accepted regardless of my faults and sins. You bring light into my heart, my life, and you make me feel as if I can do anything, even when my world is spinning out of control. You make me feel all these things, all these wonderful and scary things. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you. I'd do anything for you. And I know I'm not all that great with expressing my feelings, but—."

"Gray," Natsu cut in, cupping his mate's face in his hands, "this connection we share now lets me feel you. All of you. I only ask that you rely on me so that I can chase your fears away. I love you. I care for you more deeply than anyone I've ever met. You show me everyday how much I mean to you. Let me do the same. That's all I want. Let me in completely. Let me love you fully, Gray."

The ice mage placed one of his hands over Natsu's, turning his head slightly and placing a gentle kiss on his mate's palm. Gray then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Natsu's lips, sighing. "You have no idea how much I want to make love to you right now," he said leaning into his mate's touch.

Natsu placed a kiss on Gray's forehead. "What's stopping you?"

* * *

"Rogue, you're feeling sad again. Are you sure you're okay?" Sting asked as he observed his mate looking out at their private bath.

"I'm fine," he replied, albeit tersely.

 _Rogue's wrath be damned._ Sting pulled the shadow dragon-slayer against his chest and embraced him. "No, you're not. And whatever is bothering you, tell me. I can't bear seeing you this upset. Let me take away your sorrow."

The tender words were Rogue's undoing. He turned around, buried his face in Sting's chest, and cried.

The white dragon-slayer didn't know what to do other than hold his mate while he sobbed. He whispered sweet and consoling words in his ear, stroked his back soothingly, and yet, Rogue still cried. His reaction tore at his heart.

When it seemed Rogue's tears subsided somewhat, Sting asked him again. "What's wrong?"

The shadow dragon-slayer's only response was a shake of the head, but he clutched Sting's shirt as if it were his only lifeline.

"Why can't we talk about it?"

"N-Not…ready to," Rogue cried.

"Okay," replied Sting as he continued stroking his mate's back. "Is it…something I did? Did I do something wrong?"

"No," came the muffled reply.

"Then what can I do to help you? I don't know what to do."

"J-Just hold me…f-for now. P-Please."

Sting kissed the top of his head and embraced him firmly. "Whatever you want from me, I'll give it to you. All you need to do is ask."

Rogue seriously hoped Sting's words would hold true.

* * *

Natsu relaxed in the private bath, letting the hot water soak into his tired body. He casually opened his eyes when he felt Gray enter the bath with him.

"How's your body?" the ice mage asked affectionately. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'm a little sore, but I guess that's to be expected since we haven't done it in a few months," replied the fire mage. "But it was…different than it was before. It was…"

"More intimate."

"Yeah. I didn't know having a connection with someone would—."

"Feel like this?" finished Gray as he crept closer to Natsu. He pulled the fire mage into his arms and kissed him tenderly on the lips before peppering kisses down his throat.

"Gray, I can't anymore," Natsu gasped. "I'm worn out."

The ice mage chuckled. "I guess I still got it, huh?"

"We'll see if you've still got it after we have two little ones running around," Natsu replied.

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Who the hell could that be?" questioned Gray as he got out of the bath, peeved that the mood had been ruined. He quickly dried off and threw on his clothes, Natsu following suit with his yukata. "Did you order room service?"

"No."

Gray opened the door to their room, becoming surprised when he found a puffy-eyed Rogue standing there. The shadow dragon-slayer wasted no time in pushing past Gray and heading toward Natsu.

"Sorry about this," said Sting as he stepped into the room. "But Rogue wouldn't stop crying no matter how much I tried to comfort him. And then all he wanted was to see Natsu."

Gray shut the door, watching as Natsu hugged Rogue. When he felt sadness seeping into his mate, the ice mage became concerned. "Natsu?"

"Can you give us some privacy, please?" said Natsu pleadingly as he led Rogue to the private bath. He slid the door shut, leaving Sting and Gray to stare at their shadowy figures through the paper thin doors.

Gray tapped Sting on the shoulder. When he got his attention, he motioned to creep up to the doors. Maybe they could hear what was going on since their mates didn't seem keen on speaking to them.

"Rogue, we need to tell them sooner or later," they heard Natsu whisper. "We can't keep this from them much longer."

"I know. But I don't want to hurt Sting. That's the last thing I want to do," Rogue replied desperately.

"You're not going to hurt Sting."

"You don't know that for sure. And what about Gray? Aren't you still afraid of how he'll take it?"

"M…Maybe a little," Natsu replied quietly. "But I do believe the both of them will understand…eventually."

"I had hoped Levy and Gajeel would've come up with something by now to support our…case," said Rogue.

"Well, that's beginning to look a little bleak," said the fire mage, sighing. "We need to tell them."

"I know. But it's not like I can just go up to Sting and tell him I'm quitting Sabertooth in order to stay with you."

 _Bang!_

Natsu and Rogue spun around at the sound, only to find that Gray and Sting had somehow managed to knock down the sliding down—if the two of them being splayed about in its remains were any indication.

Sting scrambled to his feet and stared disbelievingly at Rogue. "Wh-What do you mean you're quitting Sabertooth?!"

"And what does he mean by staying with you?!" added Gray.

Sting and Gray tried to reel back their anxiety when they noticed their mates looking a tad terrified. Probably from being found out.

"I-I…" started Rogue. "I didn't want you to find out this way. But…I can't leave…Natsu. It's hard to explain."

"I'm gonna need a little more than that," implored Sting.

"We feel…the need to stay together," tried Natsu as he attempted to find the right words. "The more we talked about having our babies, the more we came to realize that it seemed…unnatural for us to separate."

"It's…instinctual, I guess you could say," added Rogue. "The thought of raising our babies separately… i-it doesn't sit well with us."

"So, in other words, you two want to raise the babies together?" questioned Gray quietly.

Natsu had a hard time figuring out how his mate truly felt about this news, so he just nodded. "I know it sounds weird. That's why we spoke with Gajeel and Levy. Levy heard some news about an old dragon and dragon-slayer book. She's been trying to get her hands on it. We were hoping it would have information that would shed some light on our situation."

"To be honest," began Sting, "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I didn't think about where we'd be or what we'd be doing after the baby was born. And now that I think about it…"

"It feels right somehow," said Gray, "as odd as that might be. I mean, we've all gotten pretty close these past few months. And you two are nearly inseparable. I guess there's no other choice."

"What do you mean?" asked Natsu restlessly.

Sting inhaled deeply, realizing what he had to do. "Everything's going to be fine," he said as he sat next to Rogue and pulled him into his lap. "We'll all stay together. If that's what you two need, that's exactly what we'll do."

"Are you sure?" Rogue asked quietly.

"Absolutely," answered Gray, pulling Natsu into his own arms. He felt relief fill his mate. "But we really do need a bigger place. Natsu's just isn't going to cut it."

"Can we worry about that later?" said Natsu. "I want to relish in the fact that you two are okay with this."

Gray chuckled. "Sure thing."

Rogue relaxed against his mate and closed his eyes, a smile finally making its way onto his face. "Thank you, Sting."

"It's good to know you're not sad anymore. Everything's going to work out just fine," said Sting.

Suddenly, Rogue's eyes shot open and his body stiffened. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" questioned Sting worriedly.

Rogue stood up and began pacing. "I think I'm…impossible."

"Rogue?" Natsu stood and gripped the shadow dragon-slayer's shoulders in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Um." He gave Sting a troubled look. "I-I think I'm getting a craving."

Sting shot to his feet faster than a bolt of lightning striking a tree, a grin plastered on his face. Finally! He'd been waiting so long for this moment! "What is it?!" he asked excitedly. "Whatever it is, I'll get it for you!"

Rogue stifled a groan. "I want…"

"Yes?"

"I want…lava."

The grin on Sting's face waned. "What?"

"I want lava," Rogue said, a little more confidently this time.

"Lava," Sting repeated slowly. "Where the hell am I supposed to get that?!"

Sting definitely had his work cut out for him. Gray thanked the heavens he only had to deal with dirt and snow.

* * *

"Why the hell am I hiding?" Laxus whispered under his breath. "It was just a stupid question."

The lightning mage rubbed his face as if trying to wash away his embarrassment. Why did his grandfather have to ask such a question?

Sure, he liked somebody from Fairy Tail…sort of. It wasn't like he was going to do anything about it. He didn't have the nerve.

Well, that was an excuse. He actually didn't feel he deserved that person, not after all of the horrible things he'd done in his life. No one would truly want him if they knew all of his deepest, darkest secrets.

That's exactly why he was hiding. In order to face the person he liked, he'd have to face himself. And he wasn't ready to do that just yet.

* * *

 **End Chapter**

 ***Author's Note – Please Review! And in that review, name the person you want Laxus to be with from Fairy Tail. I'll put the options in a poll and have you guys—the readers—vote on it!***


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